Search arXivSearch

arXiv · 2605.20582

Gold Bipyramids as a Promising Alternative to Gold Nanorods for Analytical and Biomedical Applications

Abstract

Pentagonal gold bipyramids with dimensions of 75x25 nm and a longitudinal plasmon resonance (PR) at 753 nm are synthesized. For comparison, gold nanorods with a diameter of 20 nm, lengths ranging from 95 to 50 nm, and longitudinal PR from 945 to 644 nm were synthesized by chemical etching. The samples were characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It is shown that the absorption spectral quality factor of the bipyramids is significantly higher than that of the nanorods. To compare the nanoparticles as platforms for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), their surface was functionalized with thiolated nitrobenzene molecules (NBT). It is demonstrated that the SERS enhancement factor for the bipyramids is approximately three times higher than that for the nanorods. The red shift of the bipyramids' PR after functionalization with NBT molecules is also about three times greater than for nanorods with the same PR. This agrees with the theoretical estimate of the bipyramids' PR shift being more sensitive to variations in the refractive index of the external medium or the dielectric shell thickness than that of gold nanospheres and nanorods. The high efficiency of the bipyramids as thermosensitizers for converting laser radiation into heat in photothermal therapy is experimentally and theoretically demonstrated. Effective photothermal killing of E. coli was shown upon irradiation with a laser at the plasmon resonance wavelength using nanobipyramids or nanorods.

Explore related subjects

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Andrey M. Burov, Sergey V. Zarkov, Arina V. Drozd, Igor V. Borisov, Elena G. Zavyalova, Nikolai G. Khlebtsov. 2026-08-25. Gold Bipyramids as a Promising Alternative to Gold Nanorods for Analytical and Biomedical Applications. https://doi.org/10.3762/bjnano.17.80

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

Nonlinear Magneto-Optical Probing of Time-Reversal Symmetry Breaking

Solid-state harmonic generation provides a nonlinear probe of symmetries encoded in electronic wave functions. In the subgap and weak-injection regime, time reversal pairs the harmonic responses driven by fields of opposite ellipticity, strongly suppressing elliptical dichroism in time-reversal-symmetric crystals. We show that, in a magnetic crystal, spin-orbit coupling transfers time-reversal-symmetry breaking from the spin sector to the orbital wave functions and lifts this pairing through the geometric phases of the electric-dipole current. Semiconductor-Bloch-equation calculations for centrosymmetric bilayer Cr2Ge2Te6 predict pronounced third-harmonic elliptical dichroism that reverses with the magnetization. Under linearly polarized driving, SOC-induced geometric-phase accumulation generates a nonlinear transverse current and strongly enhances the harmonic rotation and ellipticity. These results identify the geometric phase as a key microscopic contribution to the nonlinear magneto-optical response. This work establishes helicity-resolved harmonic emission and nonlinear polarimetry as complementary probes of spin-orbit-coupled magnetic order.

physics.optics

Spatiotemporal topological phase transitions in photonic spacetime crystals

Topological phase transitions have played a central role in topological physics. However, such transitions have so far been restricted to spatial or temporal crystals. Here, we transcend this conventional framework and report, for the first time, spatiotemporal topological phase transitions in photonic spacetime crystals - structures that are periodically modulated in both space and time. In a genuine photonic spacetime crystal composed of a dynamically modulated transmission-line metamaterial, we theoretically propose and experimentally demonstrate complete spatiotemporal topological phase transitions, characterized by the closing and reopening of both energy and momentum band gaps, along with changes in spatiotemporal topological invariants and topological phases. Furthermore, we directly observe a spatiotemporal, topologically localized state that exhibits causality-governed excitation and robustness to spatiotemporal disorders. Our findings reveal the interplay among space, time, and topology, establishing a unified framework that provides a comprehensive picture of the emerging topological spacetime physics and opening new avenues for robust spatiotemporal topological wave manipulations.

physics.optics

High-Resolution Sensing via Quantum States Discrimination

High-resolution sensing plays a significant role in scientific research and industrial production, but the practical implementation is constrained by the physical mechanisms of the sensors. To address the critical limitation, we propose a high-resolution sensing approach based on quantum state discrimination. Distinct from conventional strategies, the proposed approach constructs measurement operators in the orthogonal complement space rather than eigenspace of the eigenstate, thereby notably improving the discriminability among quantum states. Moreover, the experimental results via an optical microcavity demonstrate a potential sensing resolution of 4 $\times$ 10\textsuperscript{-6} \degree C and 18 p$ε$ respectively for temperature and strain, and further verify the feasibility of simultaneous sensing of the two parameters. This work establishs a universal approach for high-resolution sensing, and may be extended to different sensing platforms across various application scenarios.

physics.optics