. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2021 Dec 8.

Published in final edited form as: Wiley Interdiscip Rev Nanomed Nanobiotechnol. 2020 May 20;12(6):e1644. doi: 10.1002/wnan.1644

Table 1.

Examples of different types of sub-5 nm nanoparticles developed for in vivo applications

Name and Materials*	TEM Measured Size (nm)	DLS Measured Size (nm)	Surface Coating	Renal Clearance	Applications	Ref
GS-AgNP	2.6 ± 0.2	3.1 ± 0.3	Glutathione (GSH)	51.36% ID within 48 h	CT	[29]
GS-Au/Ag	2.6 ± 0.2	3.1 ± 0.3	GSH	52.99% ID within 48 h	CT/NIR	[29]
GS-AuNPs	2.5 nm	3.3	GSH	69.0% ID within 2 h	CT/NIR	[30]
Gly-Cys-Au	2.31	3.12	Gly and Cys	41.6% ID within 24 h	CT/NIR	[31]
⁶⁴Cu-NOTA-Au-GSH	2.0 ± 0.4	2.6 ± 0.1	GSH, p-SCN-Bn-NOTA, ⁶⁴Cu	>75% ID within 24 h	PET/CT/NIR	[32]
GS-Au	2.6 ± 0.4	3.4 ± 0.4	GSH	52.5 % ID within 24 h	CT/NIR	[33]
uIONPs	3.2 ± 0.4	4.5 ± 0.6	oligosaccharides	50% ID within 48 h	MRI	[27]
ZES-SPIONs	3	4.7	glucose	65% ID within 48 h	MRI	[43]
Ag₂S	3.1 ± 0.5	4.9 ± 1.0	GSH	85 ± 2% within 24 h	CT	[44]
Au@DTDTPA-¹¹¹In	2.4±0.5	6.6 ± 1.8	¹¹¹In-DTDTPA	64% ID within 24 h	NIR/SPECT/CT	[45]
AuNPs	2.6	3.0	GSH	>50% ID within 48 h	NIR/SPECT/CT	[46]
GC-AuNPs	2.3±0.4	2.9 ± 0.3	GSH and cysteamine	40–50% ID within 2 h	CT/NIR	[47]
Peptide-templated Au	1. ±0.4	~11	GSH and peptide	73 ± 7% within 1 h	CT/NIR	[48]
QD-Cys	3.02	4.91 ± 0.05	cysteine	50% ID within 4 h	Fluorescence	[49]
Silica Nanoparticle	NR	6.8	¹²⁴I-cRADY-PEG	72% ID in 72 h	PET	[50]
Cy5 C-Dot (silica)	NR	3.3 ± 0.06	Cy5	73 %ID within 48 h	Fluorescence	[51]
PEG-Cy5 C Dot (silica)	NR	6.0 ± 0.1	PEG-Cy5	64%ID within 48 h	Fluorescence	[52]
GdOF/Gd₂O₃	2.1 ± 0.2	4.6 ± 0.2	Poly-acrylic acid	~50% ID within 48 h	MRI	[53]