Gold nanoshells are a novel class of hybrid metal nanoparticles whose unique optical properties have spawned new applications including more sensitive molecular assays and cancer therapy. We report a new photo-physical property of nanoshells (NS) whereby these particles glow brightly when excited by near-infrared light. Specifically, we demonstrate NS excited at 780 nm produce strong two-photon induced photoluminescence (TPIP). We characterized the luminescence brightness of NS, comparing to that of fluorescein-labeled fluorescent beads (FB). We find that NS are 140 times brighter than FB. To demonstrate the potential application of this bright TPIP signal for biological imaging, we imaged the 3D distribution of gold nanoshells targeted to murine tumors.

Date Published: 21 February 2008
PDF: 8 pages
Proc. SPIE 6869, Plasmonics in Biology and Medicine V, 68690L (21 February 2008);

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 6869:
Plasmonics in Biology and Medicine V
Tuan Vo-Dinh; Joseph R. Lakowicz, Editor(s)