Multifunctional Gold Nanorods with Ultrahigh Stability and Tunability for In Vivo Fluorescence Imaging, SERS Detection, and Photodynamic Therapy

摘要

Along with the great development of nanotechnology, many kinds of colloidal nanoparticles have become powerful tools in various applications. In recent years, focus has been put on the study of gold nanoparticles, because of their good properties, which are different from the traditional bulk materials. Among them, gold nanorods (GNRs) have drawn more attention owing to their well-defined optical features, especially surface plasmon resonance (SPR), which makes them ideal enhancement agents. One of the best developed GNR-assisted techniques is surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), through which a Raman signal can be enhanced dramatically with a factor of 10~9-10~(14). This makes SERS a powerful tool both for biosensing and imaging. However, limited by the relatively weak signal intensity and the feature of the tools, SERS detection and imaging can only be realized by point-scan with long measuring time. In contrast, multiple kinds of imaging techniques based on GNRs have been well-developed, such as dark-field scattering imaging, photo-acoustic imaging, and two-photon luminescence, with fast or even real-time response.