The apparent size-dependent variation of how stark the differences between the solute-correlated spectra and the bulk spectra are, should be viewed with some caution. From figure , it is clear that the solvation shell around NP10 experiences the highest degree of disruption, followed by the solvation shell around NP30, while this disruption is the weakest in case of NP50. That could potentially mean, among these three sizes of citrate-stabilised Au NPs, the 10 nm Au NPs have the greatest ability to rupture the water hydrogen-bonding network at the interfacial region, the 50 nm Au NPs have the lowest ability to cause the same while the 30 nm Au NPs fall in between the two in that regard. However, in this study, the crudely calculated surface area is same only for NP30 and NP50. Also, the actual exposed surface area could be very different from the approximate surface areas calculated assuming perfect geometry. There could also be different degrees of defects on surface which could alter the way water interacts with these NPs. Therefore, it is best only to take note of the size-dependent variations of solute-correlated spectra and to use that as a starting point for a dedicated future study.