Tailoring gold nanocluster properties for biomedical applications: From sensing to bioimaging and theranostics
Journal Title
Progress in Materials Science
Publication Type
Review
Abstract
Gold nanomaterials have emerged as versatile systems which hold a great promise for several biomedical applications. Among them, gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) — ultra-small nanoparticles— have gained attention due to their unique optical and electronic properties arising from their small size, quantum confinement effects, and surface ligands. Their biocompatibility, efficient renal clearance, photoluminescence (PL), and catalytic activity make them great candidates for practical biomedical applications, such as bioimaging and therapy. In this review, we devote our attention to the burgeoning research in this area focusing on three main and highly intertwined topics. First, we present the different methods for AuNC synthesis alongside the key properties of AuNCs (magnetism, catalytic activity, and PL). This is followed by a description on how to fine-tune PL as their key optical property. Lastly, the potential applications of AuNCs are discussed in detail, with a particular focus on sensing, bioimaging, and on nanomedicine.
Keywords
Gold nanocluster; Capping ligand; Photoluminescence sensing; Bioimaging; Fluorescence quenching
Department(s)
Office of Cancer Research
Open Access at Publisher's Site
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmatsci.2023.101229
Terms of Use/Rights Notice
Refer to copyright notice on published article.


Creation Date: 2024-08-22 05:53:52
Last Modified: 2024-08-22 05:54:03

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