Gold suprashells : enhanced photothermal nanoheaters with multiple LSPR for broadband SERS

Paterson, Sureyya and Thompson, Sebastian A. and Wark, Alastair W. and de la Rica, Roberto (2017) Gold suprashells : enhanced photothermal nanoheaters with multiple LSPR for broadband SERS. Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 121 (13). pp. 7404-7411. ISSN 1932-7447 (https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.6b12792)

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Abstract

In this manuscript we report on a new type of self-assembled plasmonic nanostructure called gold suprashells, which are assembled around superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticle (SPION) cores. Gold suprashells have multiple surface plasmon resonances over a broad vis-NIR wavelength range, which makes them useful in applications where broadband absorption is required. For example, suprashells are efficient substrates that enhance SERS signals across multiple excitation wavelengths. This unique multi-resonant character is afforded by the suprashell structure, which comprises anisotropic assemblies of nanoparticles of tunable length. Furthermore, gold suprashells generate more heat when excited with a laser compared to the nanoparticle building blocks, therefore making them promising materials for photothermal applications. The suprashells can potentially be assembled onto any negatively charged core, which opens up multiple possibilities for the development of multifunctional core/suprashell nanoparticle designs. Here, we assemble gold suprashells around dextran-coated SPIONs in order to obtain plasmonic and magnetic nanoparticles. Cells that have internalized the multifunctional nanoparticles can be accumulated with a magnet and killed with a laser through the generation of plasmonic heat. This approach shows promise for the development of therapies aimed at killing circulating tumor cells (CTCs) utilizing the proposed magnetic and plasmonic nanoparticles.