Plasmonic vesicle consists of multiple gold nanocrystals within a polymer coating or around a phospholipid core. As a multifunctional nanostructure, it has unique advantages of assembling small nanoparticles (<5 nm) for rapid renal clearance, strong plasmonic coupling for ultrasensitive biosensing and imaging, and near‐infrared light absorption for drug release. Thus, understanding the interaction of plasmonic vesicles with light is critically important for a wide range of applications. In this paper, a combined experimental and computational study is presented on the nanocrystal transformation in colloidal plasmonic vesicles induced by the ultrafast picosecond pulsed laser. Experimentally observed merging and transformation of small nanocrystals into larger nanoparticles when treated by laser pulses is first reported. The underlying mechanisms responsible for the experimental observations are investigated with a multiphysics computational approach featuring coupled electromagnetic/molecular dynamics simulation. This study reveals for the first time that combined nanoparticle heating and laser‐enhanced Brownian motion is responsible for the observed nanocrystal merging. Correspondingly, laser fluence, interparticle distance, and presence of water are identified as the most important factors governing the nanocrystal transformation. The guidelines established from this study can be employed to design a host of biomedical and nanomanufacturing applications involving laser interaction with plasmonic nanoparticles.
There is a crucial need for effective and easily dispersible colloidal microsensors able to detect local pH changes before irreversible damages caused by demineralization, corrosion, or biofilms occur. One class of such microsensors is based on molecular dyes encapsulated or dispersed either in polymer matrices or in liquid systems exhibiting different colors upon pH variations. They are efficient but often rely on sophisticated and costly syntheses, and present significant risks of leakage and photobleaching damages, which is detrimental for mainstream applications. Another approach consists of exploiting the distance‐dependent plasmonic properties of metallic nanoparticles. Still, assembling nanoparticles into dispersible colloidal pH‐sensitive sensors remains a challenge. Here, it is shown how to combine optically active plasmonic gold nanoparticles and pH‐responsive thin shells into “plasmocapsules.” Upon pH change, plasmocapsules swell or shrink. Concomitantly, the distance between the gold nanoparticles embedded in the polymeric matrix varies, resulting in an unambiguous color change. Billions of micron‐size sensors can thus be easily fabricated. They are nonintrusive, reusable, and sense local pH changes. Each plasmocapsule is an independent reversible microsensor over a large pH range. Finally, their potential use for the detection of bacterial growth is demonstrated, thus proving that plasmocapsules are a new class of sensing materials.
more » « less- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10458943
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Small
- Volume:
- 16
- Issue:
- 6
- ISSN:
- 1613-6810
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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