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Journal ArticleDOI

A new hydrosol of gold clusters. 1. Formation and particle size variation

01 Sep 1993-Langmuir (American Chemical Society)-Vol. 9, Iss: 9, pp 2301-2309
TL;DR: Aqueous reduction of hydrogen tetrachloroaurate(III) with alkaline tetrakis(hydroxymethyl)phosphonium chloride yields gold in an ultrafinely divided form as a stable colloidal hydrosol, with mean metal-cluster diameter between 1 and 2 nm, without the need for large organic stabilizing molecules.
Abstract: Aqueous reduction of hydrogen tetrachloroaurate(III) with alkaline tetrakis(hydroxymethyl)phosphonium chloride yields gold in an ultrafinely divided form as a stable colloidal hydrosol, with mean metal-cluster diameter between 1 and 2 nm, without the need for large organic stabilizing molecules. The ultraviolet-visible extinction spectrum is very similar to those of other gold colloids of similar dimensions and includes a weak plasmon feature. Dispersions with characteristics of yet finer clusters are prepared using lower initial concentrations of Au3+ ions. Boiling the sols in the presence of appropriate colloidal stabilizers (ionic and/or polymeric) is a route to coarser (3-10 nm particle diameter) gold hydrosols. © 1993 American Chemical Society.
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In vivo studies under magnetic resonance guidance revealed that exposure to low doses of NIR light in solid tumors treated with metal nanoshells reached average maximum temperatures capable of inducing irreversible tissue damage, and found good correlation with histological findings.
Abstract: Metal nanoshells are a class of nanoparticles with tunable optical resonances. In this article, an application of this technology to thermal ablative therapy for cancer is described. By tuning the nanoshells to strongly absorb light in the near infrared, where optical transmission through tissue is optimal, a distribution of nanoshells at depth in tissue can be used to deliver a therapeutic dose of heat by using moderately low exposures of extracorporeally applied near-infrared (NIR) light. Human breast carcinoma cells incubated with nanoshells in vitro were found to have undergone photothermally induced morbidity on exposure to NIR light (820 nm, 35 W/cm2), as determined by using a fluorescent viability stain. Cells without nanoshells displayed no loss in viability after the same periods and conditions of NIR illumination. Likewise, in vivo studies under magnetic resonance guidance revealed that exposure to low doses of NIR light (820 nm, 4 W/cm2) in solid tumors treated with metal nanoshells reached average maximum temperatures capable of inducing irreversible tissue damage (DeltaT = 37.4 +/- 6.6 degrees C) within 4-6 min. Controls treated without nanoshells demonstrated significantly lower average temperatures on exposure to NIR light (DeltaT < 10 degrees C). These findings demonstrated good correlation with histological findings. Tissues heated above the thermal damage threshold displayed coagulation, cell shrinkage, and loss of nuclear staining, which are indicators of irreversible thermal damage. Control tissues appeared undamaged.

3,774 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a general approach to the making of metal nanoshell composite nanoparticles based on molecular self-assembly and colloid reduction chemistry is described, which can be used to construct a new, composite nanoparticle whose optical resonance can be designed in a controlled manner.

2,240 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A simple, non-invasive procedure that takes advantage of the strong near infrared (NIR) absorption of nanoshells, a new class of gold nanoparticles with tunable optical absorptivities that can undergo passive extravasation from the abnormal tumor vasculature due to their nanoscale size.

1,803 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: How the core/shell ratio and overall size of a nanoshell influences its scattering and absorption properties is illustrated and several examples ofnanoshell-based diagnostic and therapeutic approaches are described including the development of Nanoshell bioconjugates for molecular imaging, the use of scattering nanosells as contrast agents for optical coherence tomography (OCT), and the use for absorbing nanoshels in NIR thermal therapy of tumors.
Abstract: Metal nanoshells are a novel type of composite spherical nanoparticle consisting of a dielectric core covered by a thin metallic shell which is typically gold. Nanoshells possess highly favorable optical and chemical properties for biomedical imaging and therapeutic applications. By varying the relative the dimensions of the core and the shell, the optical resonance of these nanoparticles can be precisely and systematically varied over a broad region ranging from the near-UV to the mid-infrared. This range includes the near-infrared (NIR) wavelength region where tissue transmissivity peaks. In addition to spectral tunability, nanoshells offer other advantages over conventional organic dyes including improved optical properties and reduced susceptibility to chemical/thermal denaturation. Furthermore, the same conjugation protocols used to bind biomolecules to gold colloid are easily modified for nanoshells. In this article, we first review the synthesis of gold nanoshells and illustrate how the core/shell ratio and overall size of a nanoshell influences its scattering and absorption properties. We then describe several examples of nanoshell-based diagnostic and therapeutic approaches including the development of nanoshell bioconjugates for molecular imaging, the use of scattering nanoshells as contrast agents for optical coherence tomography (OCT), and the use of absorbing nanoshells in NIR thermal therapy of tumors.

1,157 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This work discusses recent advances in the study and use of selectively targeted Au nanospheres in cancer photodiagnostics and photothermal therapy, and the use of Au nanorods and silica-Au core-shell nanoparticles for in vivo cancer detection and therapy.

1,103 citations