Sotiriou G.A., Pratsinis S.E.
ETH Zürich, CH
Keywords: Ag, Au, nanoparticles, photothermal, sers
Plasmonic nanoparticles play an important role in biomedical applications today as they can serve as superior optically-stable bioimaging agents, be employed in biosensor devices for the early diagnosis of diseases, and exhibit promising results for their employment in vivo as therapeutic agents. For several bioapplications, however, nanoparticles that express more than one functionality are often advantageous. This has led to the synthesis of multifunctional plasmonic nanoparticles that combine the attractive plasmonic properties with other functionalities like magnetism, photoluminescence, dispersibility in aqueous solutions and resistance to degradation. Here, biocompatible, SiO2-coated, Janus-like multifunctional plasmonic nanoparticles are prepared by one-step, scalable flame aerosol technology. A nanothin SiO2 shell around these multifunctional nanoparticles leaves intact their morphology, magnetic and plasmonic properties but minimizes their toxicity. Furthermore, this silica shell hinders flocculation and allows for easy dispersion of such nanoparticles in aqueous and biological buffer (PBS) solutions without any extra functionalization step. Their performance as bioimaging agensts was explored by selectively binding them with live tagged Raji and HeLa cells enabling their detection under dark-filed illumination. Finally, their potential in photothermal treatment of cancer cells is investigated.
Journal: TechConnect Briefs
Volume: 1, Nanotechnology 2013: Advanced Materials, CNTs, Particles, Films and Composites (Volume 1)
Published: May 12, 2013
Pages: 370 - 373
Industry sector: Advanced Materials & Manufacturing
Topic: Nanoparticle Synthesis & Applications
ISBN: 978-1-4822-0581-7