Abstract
Anisotropic metal nanostructures (e.g., Au-Ag, Au-Cu) are emerging for biomedical and catalytic applications in recent years. Herein, we report a modified synthesis of Cu-Au tripod nanocrystals through the controlled nucleation and growth process with judicious purification for photothermal based anticancer therapy. The distribution of nanocrystals in tripod was analyzed by STEM-EDX mapping, indicating the formation of Cu-Au alloy nanocrystals. Theoretical calculations showed the possible formation of alloy structures, that is, Cu3Au, Cu-Au, and CuAu3 and confirmed that their stability in the following order: CuAu3 < Cu-Au < Cu3Au. These stable tripods exhibited a well pronounced photothermal effect as demonstrated by experimental and simulation photothermal studies. Cancer cells treated with nanocrystals upon NIR laser exposure showed promising therapeutic effects.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 3735-3742 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | ACS Applied Nano Materials |
Volume | 2 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2019 Jun 28 |
Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2019 American Chemical Society.
Keywords
- Cu-Au tripods
- NIR laser
- bimetallic nanocrystals
- cancer cells
- photothermal therapy
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Materials Science