Importance of the Structural and Physicochemical Properties of Silica Nanoshells in the Photothermal Effect of Silica-Coated Au Nanoparticles Suspensions.

In this work, monodisperse silica-coated gold nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized and used for obtaining aqueous colloidal dispersions with an optimum relationship between colloidal stability and photothermal activity. The idea behind this design was to produce systems with the advantages of the presence of a silica shell (biocompatibility, potential for surface modification, and protecting effect) with a minimal loss of optical and thermal properties. With this aim, the photothermal properties of NPs with silica shells of different thicknesses were analyzed under conditions of high radiation extinction.