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Bright, near-infrared electrochemiluminescence (NIR-ECL) of Au18 nanoclusters is reported herein. Spooling ECL and photoluminescence spectroscopy were used to track and link NIR emissions at 832 and 848 nm to three emissive species, Au180 *, Au181+ * and Au182+ *, with a considerably high ECL efficiency of 5.5 relative to that of the gold standard Ru(bpy)32+ /TPrA (with 5-6 % reported ECL efficiency). The unprecedentedly high efficiency is due to the overlapped oxidation potentials of Au180 and tri-n-propylamine as co-reactant, the exposed facets of Au180 gold core, and electrocatalytic loops. These discoveries will add a new member to the efficient NIR-ECL gold nanoclusters family and bring more potential applications.

The atomic structures of 10-electron (10e) thiolate-protected gold nanoclusters have not received extensive attention both experimentally and theoretically. In this paper, five new atomic structures of 10e thiolate-protected gold nanoclusters, including three Au32(SR)22 isomers, one Au28(SR)18, and one Au33(SR)23, are theoretically predicted. Based on grand unified model (GUM), four Au17 cores with different morphologies can be obtained via three different packing modes of five tetrahedral Au4 units. Then, five complete structures of three Au32(SR)22 isomers, one Au28(SR)18, and one Au33(SR)23 isomers can be formed by adding the thiolate ligands to three Au17 cores based on the interfacial interaction between thiolate ligands and gold core in known gold nanoclusters. Density functional theory calculations show that the relative energies of three newly predicted Au32(SR)22 isomers are quite close to two previously reported isomers. In addition, five new 10e gold nanoclusters have large highest occupied molecular orbital-lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (HOMO-LUMO) gaps and all-positive harmonic vibration frequencies, indicating their high stabilities.

High-resolution electrospray ionization ion mobility mass spectrometry has revealed a gas-phase isomer of the ubiquitous, extremely well-studied Au25(SR)18 cluster both in anionic and cationic form. The relative abundance of the isomeric structures can be controlled by in-source activation. The measured collision cross section of the new isomer agrees extremely well with a recent theoretical prediction (Matus, M. F.; et al. Chem. Commun. 2020, 56, 8087) corresponding to a Au25(SR)18– isomer that is energetically close and topologically connected to the known ground-state structure via a simple rotation of the gold core without breaking any Au–S bonds. The results imply that the structural dynamics leading to isomerization of thiolate-protected gold clusters may play an important role in their gas-phase reactions and that isomerization could be controlled by external stimuli. peerReviewed

The perspectives of using γ-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane as a precursor for creating multifunctional composite nanoparticles (CNPs) with a rodlike gold core and an organosilica shell have been analyzed. It is shown that the presence of thiol groups, which are capable of specific interactions with metal ions and atoms, in the shell makes it possible to “directly” (i.e., without any additional modification) load rather large amounts of an anticancer drug, cisplatin, into it. In addition, preliminary data have been obtained that indicate the possibility of nitrosation of the SH-groups of the shells, which is very important from the viewpoint of creating container CNPs for NO, with such containers providing not only its delivery to tumors, but also its controlled release under the action of laser radiation.

Despite the addition of formalin in milk or any food product is banned in most of the countries, its use continues because of capability to increase shelf life of food by several folds and cheap availability. An addition of small quantity of solution of gold nanoparticles enhanced the capability of Tollen’s reagent and produced visible change in color due to presence of trace amount of formalin in solution. In order to establish this new technique, various samples of milk with different quantities of formalin were prepared and color change after the reaction with gold nanoparticles suspended in Tollen’s reagent was visibly observed. This was also monitored by UV–Visible Spectrophotometry to confirm the formation of gold core silver shell particles. This paper presents an easy, cost effective way to detect formalin adulteration in milk at very low concentrations and could be adopted in the area of quality control and can be further modified for use in the testing of other food products.

Herein, we successfully incorporated pnictogen-Au@AgNR composites, produced by mixing shear exfoliated pnictogen nanosheets with silver shell, gold core nanorods (Au@AgNRs), as novel electrode materials towards the development of a non-enzymatic electrochemical glucose sensor. The findings of this study conceptually prove the feasibility of incorporating pnictogen-based composites for future development of electrochemical sensors.

It is well known that alkynes act as π-acids in the formation of complexes with metals. We found unprecedented attractive Au-π interactions in diacetylene-modified [core+exo]-type [Au8 ]4+ clusters. The 4-phenyl-1,3-butadiynyl-modified cluster has unusually short Au-Cα distances in the crystal structure, revealing the presence of attractive interactions between the coordinating C≡C moieties and the neighboring bitetrahedral Au6 core, which is further supported by IR and NMR spectra. Such weak interactions are not found in mono-acetylene-modified clusters, which indicates that they are specific for diacetylenic ligands. The attractive Au-π interactions are likely associated with the low energy of the π* orbital in the diacetylenic moieties, into which the valence electrons of the gold core may be back donated. The [Au8 ]4+ clusters show clear red-shifts of >10 nm with respect to the corresponding mono-acetylenic clusters in UV/Vis absorption bands, which indicates substantial electronic perturbation effects of the Au-π interactions.

Nanomaterials have assumed a prominent role in biomedical field during the past years. Particularly, the gold-core silica shell nanoparticles present unique physical and chemical properties that make nanodevices appealing for theragnostic applications. The gold core characteristic X-ray attenuation, surface enhanced raman scattering and tunable absorption in the near-infrared region supports the applicability of these systems in X-ray, photoacoustic and thermal imaging as well as in photothermal and photodynamic based therapies. Additionally, the inclusion of the silica shell stabilizes the gold core, protecting it from premature degradation and aggregation, and also provides additional cargo capacity for therapeutic molecules. Further, both silica and gold are described as biocompatible, inert and nontoxic materials. In this review, an overview of the gold core-silica shell nanoparticles applications in nanomedicine is provided, highlighting the different particle shapes and their application in bioimaging and therapy. Further, the basics of the gold core-silica shell nanoparticles synthesis procedures, general properties, and biosafety are also described.

Bimetallic Au@Ag nanoclusters have been shown to possess unique properties compared to their monometallic Au or Ag nanoclusters. In the present work, the optical properties of three bimetallic nanoclusters, namely, Au15@Ag, Au18@Ag, and Au25@Ag have been investigated by steady-state and time-resolved absorption and emission and two-photon absorption measurements. The nanoclusters are composed of a gold core and an alternating Au–Ag–ligand surface shell structure. We observed that the absorption and emission of the bimetallic Au@Ag nanoclusters are enhanced compared to the pure Au nanoclusters; the emission is, additionally, blue shifted. All of the mixed clusters showed impressive two-photon absorption coefficients with Au25@Ag showing a largely enhanced effect. The excited state dynamics of the Au@Ag nanoclusters was studied by time-resolved transient absorption and emission, which show that the bimetallic nanoclusters have longer excited state lifetimes than the Au nanoclusters. Specifically, the surfac...

A new stable structure of Au28(SR)20 cluster is predicted, which has the same gold core as two known structures but different Au-S framework. The new Au28(SR)20 cluster is proposed to be a key link in the evolution of Au22(SR)18, Au34(SR)22 and Au40(SR)24 clusters. The four clusters belong to a homogenous Au16+6N(SR)16+2N series (N = 1–4). The relative stabilities of the new Au28 isomer structure were confirmed by density functional theory calculations including dispersion corrections (DFT-D). It is found that upon protection of certain SR ligands, the new isomer structure has lower or comparable energies to two known cluster structures.

Glycoscience, despite its myriad of challenges, promises to unravel the causes of, potential new detection methods for, and novel therapeutic strategies against, many disease states. In the last two decades, glyco-gold nanoparticles have emerged as one of several potential new tools for glycoscientists. Glyco-gold nanoparticles consist of the unique structural combination of a gold nanoparticle core and an outer-shell comprising multivalent presentation of carbohydrates. The combination of the distinctive physicochemical properties of the gold core and the biological function/activity of the carbohydrates makes glyco-gold nanoparticles a valuable tool in glycoscience. In this review we present recent advances made in the use of one type of click chemistry, namely the azide–alkyne Huisgen cycloaddition, for the functionalization of gold nanoparticles and their conversion to glyco-gold nanoparticles.

We present the application of grand unified model (GUM) and ring model in understanding the isomeric structures of six Au28(SR)20 nanoclusters. In light of GUM, three Au14 cores could be attributed to the different packing modes of four tetrahedral Au4 units. The binding of the protection ligands with three Au14 cores can be guided by the ring model, in which the protection ligands and some gold core atoms can form the rings with different radii. Therefore the structural isomerism of six isomers can be understood by different types of ring structures packing, fusing, or interlocking together.

As a new class of bio-abiotic hybrid materials, a series of highly fluorescent self-assembled protein-gold hybrid materials (PGHMs) with different emission wavelengths (blue (B), green (G), yellow (Y), and red (R) colored under UV irradiation) are synthesized by using various combinations of proteins and free amino acids as stabilizer and reducing agents. The synthesis process was controllable by modulating the pH of the reaction solutions. The synthesized PGHMs (PGHM-Blue (PGHM-B), PGHM-Green (PGHM-G), PGHM-Yellow (PGHM-Y), and PGHM-Red (PGHM-R)) exhibited distinct fluorescent properties and showed low cytotoxicity as justified by a bacteria-based test system. The sizes of PGHMs are approximately 100 nm with gold core diameters 0.8–1.8 nm as shown by SEM and TEM images. The assembly of PGHMs was dynamic and occurred through a free radical associated cross-linking process. This general strategy expanded the toolbox of protein-gold hybrid materials. The photostable bio-abiotic hybrid fluorescent nanomateri...

Multifunctional nano-systems are an enticing approach toward the design of nanoparticles with desired characteristics because of interactions between various components of the system. The combination of various imaging modalities often augments the advantages and simultaneously overcomes restrictions encountered by the individual techniques. This report describes the development of multifunctional gold core/iron oxide porous-shell nanoparticles (AuFe NPs) functionalized with matrix metalloproteinase peptide for targeted multi-mode magnetic resonance and computed tomography imaging. This study demonstrates that AuFe NPs simultaneously possess both T2-based contrast effect and X-ray attenuation properties in vitro. The drug loading capacity of porous iron oxide shell is also proposed.

We present the results of synthesis and study of the electrocatalytic activity of gold and silver nanoparticles of different composition (individual metals, core–shell particles, nanoalloys, and particles synthesized electrochemically), immobilized on the surface of a glassy carbon electrode, with respect to cholesterol. A surfactant (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide) is selected to create an aqueous–organic emulsion of cholesterol. It is demonstrated that nanoparticles with a gold core and a silver shell with the regression equation of I = 1.4 × 10–5 c chol + 5.8 × 10–5 (R 2 = 0.97) and silver nanoparticles synthesized electrochemically with the regression equation of I = 1.0 × 10–5 c chol + 3.0 × 10–4 (R 2 = 0.95) possess optimal electrocatalytic characteristics.

International audience; The great affinity of gold surface for numerous electron-donating groups has largely contributed to the rapid development of functionalized gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs). In the last years, a new subclass of nanocomposite has emerged, based on the association of inorganic molecular entities (IME) with Au-NPs. This highly extended and diversified subclass was promoted by the synergy between the intrinsic properties of the shell and the gold core. This review-divided into four main parts-focuses on an introductory section of the basic notions related to the stabilization of gold nanoparticles and defines in a second part the key role played by the functionalizing agent. Then, we present a wide range of inorganic molecular entities used to prepare these nanocomposites (NCs). In particular, we focus on four different types of inorganic systems, their topologies, and their current applications. Finally, the most recent applications are described before an overview of this new emerging field of research.

The biocompatibility and catalytic activity of nanomaterials exhibiting biological enzyme-like functions (nanozymes) are controlled by shape, size, composition, and surface capping molecules. Although synthesis of multifunctional nanozymes for multiple applications has shown tremendous attraction among researchers worldwide, often their biocompatibility is compromised. In this work, we report the replacement of CTAB by 11-MUA from the surface of a Au-core CeO2-shell NP-based nanozyme studied for exhibiting multiple enzyme-like activities such as peroxidase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase. We compared the biocompatibility and enzyme-like activities of CTAB coated Au-core CeO2-shell NPs (CSNPs) before and after 11-MUA coating. The catalytic reaction mechanism of peroxidase-like activity of CTAB coated CSNPs was found to be the “Random Bi–Bi”, which also remained unaltered after removal of surface CTAB with 11-MUA. The other kinetic parameters, Km and Vmax values, of 11-MUA coated CSNPs were found to be comparable to the CTAB coated NPs.

Polydopamine functionalized plasmonic nanocomposites with well-distributed catalytically active small gold nanoislands around large gold core were fabricated without using any chemical reductant or surfactant. The optical properties, surface molecular structures, and ensemble catalytic activity of the gold nanocomposites were investigated by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry and UV-vis spectroscopy, respectively. Moreover, the considerable catalytic activity of the nanocomposites toward 4-nitrophenol reduction was real time monitored by dark-field spectroscopy techniques at the single-nanoparticle level avoiding averaging effects in bulk systems. According to the obtained plasmonic signals from individual nanocomposites, the electron charging and discharging rates for these nanocomposites during the catalytic process were calculated. Our results offer new insights into the design and synthesis of plasmonic nanocomposites for future catalytic applications as well as a further mechanistic understanding of the electron transfer during the catalytic process at the single-nanoparticle level.

The synthesis of degradable gold core–mesoporous organosilica shell nanoparticles is described. The nanoparticles were very efficient for two-photon luminescence imaging of cancer cells and for in vitro gemcitabine monophosphate delivery, allowing promising theranostic applications in the nanomedicine field.

A comparative study of the reactivity of the carbonylmetalates {m}− = [MoCp(CO)3]− (Cp = η5-C5H5) and [Mo(η5-C5H4NMe2)(CO)3]− toward d10 complexes of the group 11 metals, [Cu(NCMe)4](BF4), AgBF4 and [N(n-Bu)4][AuBr2], has allowed the characterization of new heterometallic hexa- and octanuclear clusters with the same general formula [M{m}]n (M = Cu, Ag, Au). In these cyclic oligomers, the value of n depends of the coinage metal. Thus, the hexanuclear cluster [Cu3{Mo(η5-C5H4NMe2)(CO)3}3] (17) has a planar metal core, formed by a copper triangle with edge-bridging molybdenum atoms. The octanuclear “star shape” clusters [Ag4{Mo(η5-C5H4NMe2)(CO)3}4] (19) and [Au4{Mo(η5-C5H4NMe2)(CO)3}4] (21) contain a square silver or gold core, respectively, edge-bridged by molybdenum atoms. In these three clusters, the 2-D raft-type structure of their metal core, which is ν2-triangular for Cu3Mo3 and of a square-in-a-square-type for the octanuclear Ag4Mo4 and Au4Mo4 clusters, allows for d10–d10 metallophilic interactions. Th...

Ligand exchange reactions can introduce new ligands onto clusters to afford new physical/chemical properties and functions. Many studies on the ligand exchange reactions of thiolate-protected gold clusters using other chalcogenates (i.e., selenolates or tellurolates) as exchange ligands have been conducted in recent years. However, there is limited information on the preferential exchange sites and electronic structure of the exchanged products. In this study, we investigated the geometric and electronic structures of the products obtained by reacting [Au25(SC2H4Ph)18]− with PhSeH or (PhTe)2 by single-crystal X-ray structural analysis, differential pulse voltammetry, and optical absorption spectroscopy. The results revealed that these exchange reactions preferentially produce products containing substituted ligands close to the gold core. In addition, we quantitatively determined the changes in the redox potentials and optical transition energies induced by continuous ligand exchange. This systematic inve...

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) probes with a nanometer-sized interior gap between the Au core and shell, also called nanomatryoshkas (NMs), have attracted great interest in SERS-based bioimaging and biosensing. Recently, seed-mediated growth has been shown to be effective for NM synthesis. We found that the structure of nanogaps inside Au NMs depends strongly on the core surface morphology. Specifically, when the initially citrate-stabilized 15 and 35 nm smooth Au cores were further functionalized with 1,4-benzenedithiol (BDT) in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC), the Au shell growth led to the formation of a subnanometer hollow interior gap containing BDT molecules. In contrast, the use of 23 and 35 nm faceted polygonal CTAC-stabilized Au cores for Au shell growth resulted in NMs with small bridged gaps. The formation of incomplete outer shells with one or two nanometer-sized hollow gaps was also observed for 23 nm polygonal cores but not for 35 nm ones. The experimental SE...

International audience; The scattering and absorption efficiencies of light by individual silicon/gold core/shell spherical nanoparticles in air are analysed theoretically in the framework of Lorenz-Mie formalism. We have addressed the influence of particle-diameter and gold-shell thickness on the scattering and absorption efficiencies of such nano-heterostructures. For comparison, we also considered the famous silica/gold core/shell nanoparticle and pure gold nanoparticle. Our simulation clearly shows that the optical response of the illuminated Si/Au core/shell nanoparticle differs markedly from that of the famous SiO2/Au heterostructure which in turn does not show a significant difference with that of the pure gold nanoparticle. This difference is clearly evident for shell thickness to outer particle radius ratio of less than 0.5. It manifests itself essentially by the occurrence of a strong and sharp absorption resonance beyond the wavelength of 600 nm where the silica/gold and the pure gold nanoparticles never absorb. The characteristics of this resonance are found to be sensitive to the particle diameter and the shell thickness. In particular, its spectral position can be adjusted over a wide spectral range from the visible to the mid-IR by varying the particle diameter and/or the shell thickness.

Carbon-based nanomaterials have been developed for photothermal cancer therapy, but it is still a great challenge to fabricate their multifunctional counterparts with facile methods, good biocompatibility and dispersity, and high efficiency for cancer theranostics. In this work, an alternative multifunctional nanoplatform is developed based on carbon–silica nanocapsules with gold nanoparticle in the cavity (Au@CSN) for cancer theranostics. The encapsulated chemodrug doxorubicin can be released from the Au@CSN with mesoporous and hollow structure in a near-infrared light and pH stimuli-responsive manner, facilitating spatiotemporal therapy to decrease off-target toxicity. The nanocapsules with efficient photothermal conversion and excellent biocompatibility achieve a synergistic effect of photothermal and chemotherapy. Furthermore, the nanocapsules can act as a multimodal imaging agent of computed tomography and photoacoustic tomography imaging for guiding the therapy. This new design platform can provide a promising strategy for precise cancer theranostics.

A multi-functional dual-core photonic crystal fiber (PCF) polarization beam splitter with a central oval hole filled with gold is designed and described. The first layer on the circular holes around the core is filled with the nematic liquid crystal (NLC) to enhance birefringence. The full-vector finite element method is employed to study the characteristics of the polarization beam splitter and derive the optimal parameters. When the fiber length is 14.55 [Formula: see text]m, the polarized light in the [Formula: see text]- and [Formula: see text]-directions can be separated at a wavelength of 1.31 [Formula: see text]m and the bandwidths are 257 and 238 nm, respectively, for extinction ratios bigger than 10 dB. When the fiber length is 10.86 [Formula: see text]m, the polarized light in the [Formula: see text]- and [Formula: see text]-directions can be separated at a wavelength of 1.55 [Formula: see text]m and the bandwidths are 239 and 174 nm, respectively for extinction ratios larger than 10 dB. The multifunctional polarization beam splitter with an ultra-short fiber length and broad bandwidth improves the sensing performance in comparison with single-function devices and our results provide insights into the design of beam splitters with multiple functions.

In previous research, the role of gold nanoparticles in tumor photothermal therapy and radiotherapy has attracted the attention of researchers. However, its limited photothermal conversion efficiency and inevitable biological toxicity restrict its further application. With the development of the field of nanomaterials, researchers have discovered that combining gold into core-shell structured nanomaterials can exhibit many surprising properties and has great potential in the field of tumor therapy. This article systematically reviews the progress of gold core-shell structured nanomaterials in the field of tumor therapy in recent years. In this paper, the progress of gold-core-shell nanomaterials in the field of cancer treatment in recent years is reviewed systematically, and the characteristics, preparation methods and deficiencies of gold core-shell nanoparticles are introduced respectively. Although gold core-shell nanoparticles have a good application prospect due to their low toxicity and good biocompatibility, a lot of research work is still needed to solve the problems such as aggregation, photothermal conversion efficiency and large-scale production.

Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) are versatile materials suitable for various biological applications due to their tunable surface properties, but structure–function relationships between specific GNP components and GNP behavior are largely lacking. In this work, atomistic molecular dynamics simulations were used to study the influence of gold core morphology, size, and ligand length on the structure of uniformly nonpolar alkanethiol monolayer-protected GNPs in water. By use of a generalized system preparation workflow, three gold core models were selected for this study: (1) a uniformly spherical hollow gold core, (2) a spherical gold core cut from a bulk gold lattice, and (3) a faceted gold core obtained from variance-constrained semigrand-canonical simulations. Independent of the gold core morphology, we found that long alkanethiol ligands exhibit increased ligand order and form quasi-crystalline domains, or bundles, in which ligands orient in the same direction, leading to asymmetric monolayer structures. Fa...

The aims of this study are to synthesize porous nanostars (PNSs) composed of a Pt, Pd, or Pt–Pd alloy shell supported on a gold core and to demonstrate their improved electrocatalytic activity towards the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The catalysts contain homogeneous, porous, star-shaped, large-sized structures (50 or 20 nm on average), with a covering pattern of Pt or Pt–Pd alloy nanodendritic particles of up to 5 nm. The synthesized PNS catalysts catalyze the ORR effectively, offering high performance in terms of Pt group metals mass-specific activity, electrochemically active surface area (ECSA), specific ECSA, and specific activity, with high half-wave potential values (0.93–0.96 V).

We report a new understanding of the factors controlling the size of thiolate-protected gold nanoparticles (Au NPs): the formation and the state of a protecting layer (Au(i)-thiolate motifs) outside the gold core determine the size of Au NPs, depending on the feeding thiol-to-Au ratio. As a result, a U-shape trend is identified between the size of Au NPs and the thiol-to-Au ratio as opposed to the commonly expected decreasing trend.

The strong plasmonic chiroptical activities of gold core-DNA-silver shell nanoparticles (NPs) are reported for the first time, using cytosine-rich single-stranded DNA as the template for the guidance of silver shell growth. The anisotropy factor of the optically active NPs at 420 nm reaches 1.93 × 10−2. Their chiroptical properties are likely induced by the DNA–plasmon interaction and markedly amplified by the strong electromagnetic coupling between the gold core and silver shell.

Bimetallic AuAg NPs (NPs) were synthesized via chemical reduction of AuCl3 and AgNO3 and fully characterized by several experimental techniques and theoretical calculations. The plasmon absorptions of these NPs were correlated with the most stable particle structure through different simulations, revealing the most stable structure to be consisted of a gold core and a silver shell. This structural motif was then confirmed by HR-TEM coupled with line-scan EDS and molecular dynamics. Finally, the impact of the nanoparticle composition on their catalytic performance for glycerol electrooxidation was evaluated. The better catalytic performance in terms of the onset potential found for the Au50Ag50 and Au75Ag25 catalysts suggests the existence of a synergistic effect between Au and Ag.

This paper describes a series of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) including TiO2 photoanodes with different amounts of silica/gold core–shell (SiO2@Au) spheres. The results show that the DSSC containing TiO2 photoanode with a certain amount of SiO2@Au spheres can attain its relatively better power conversion efficiency of 5.29%. Compared with a reference DSSC containing a pure TiO2 photoanode, the power conversion efficiency of the DSSC has been remarkably enhanced by 33.9%.

The use of gold nanoparticles as a scaffold on which to assemble molecular architectures presents a versatile approach to produce nanoprobes with modalities defined by the properties of the capping architectures at the molecular level. Lanthanide ions, with their characteristic magnetic and luminescent properties, are ideal probes for imaging applications. Gold nanoparticles represent an inert, biocompatible and rigid scaffold on which to assemble molecular complexes using clean, facile chemistries. The size of the gold nanoparticles can be easily tuned using robust and established chemistry. The combination of the stable, long-lived luminescence signal or characteristic magnetic properties afforded by the trivalent lanthanide ions with the size-tuneable inert gold core allows the formation of tailored nanoprobes ideally suited to the investigation of biological systems and biomedical applications. In this review the different methods for attachment of lanthanide complexes onto gold nanoparticles are presented for the production of nanoprobes with luminescence and magnetic resonance signal outputs. A short introduction outlining the development of the preparation methods for water-soluble gold nanoparticles is presented, followed by the approaches to the functionalisation of gold nanoparticles with metal-complexes which set the scene for the lanthanide studies. Two approaches of introducing lanthanides onto gold nanoparticles are identified and the systems are grouped in the discussion under the attachment of pre-assembled lanthanide complexes and the employment of ligands on nanoparticles that bind lanthanides. The preparation and properties of lanthanide-coated nanoparticles are then discussed in detail as luminescent visible and near infrared probes. Finally, the development of gold nanoparticles as a platform on which to assemble Gd(III) complexes for magnetic resonance imaging applications is discussed.

Using the finite difference time domain method it was shown that a nanocylinder from silica glass with a diameter of 360 nm and a gold core of 40 nm focuses TM-polarized laser light into a nanojet with a full width at half maximum of 298 nm. Maximum intensity in focal spot is about 4 times higher than intensity of incident Gaussian beam.