Investigation of Au Nanoparticles Loading Temperature Responsive Hybrid Microgels

摘要

Gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) were loaded into poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) based temperature responsive microgels by seed-growth method. Their growth process was tracked by their extinction spectra at various reaction times. Their average diameter measured by field emission transmission electron microscopy is 12 nm, and their weight content by thermogravimetric analysis is 29.2%. The localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) property of the loaded Au NPs changes remarkably within the same temperature range as the particle size of the hybrid microgels varys, due to variation of the refractive index surrounding the Au NPs and plasmonic coupling between them. This result indicates that the LSPR property of the Au NPs embedded within temperature responsive microgels can be tuned by environmental temperature.