Star shape gold nanoparticles for biomedical applications

10 November 2008

Researchers at Duke University found that the start shape nanoparticles can enhance the reflected lights in comparison to other shapes nanoparticles and therefore can be suitably used for various applications including as a contrast agent or a tracer. Further as these star shape nanoparticles significantly affect the reflected light spectrum, gold nanostar can be used as labels for detecting or identifying the particular molecule or compound and therefore can be used for controlled synthesis.

Bioengineers at Duke University have used these nanostars for enhancing the signal of Raman Spectrum, which is also known as SERS (surface-enhanced Raman Scattering) and found that if the target molecule is coupled with metal nanostructure, the response is greatly enhanced and sometimes more than a million times. The researcher Vo-Dinh earlier in 1980s demonstrated that SERS could be used for detecting various chemicals including pollutants, markers of diseases and carcinogens.

For the present study, the author Vo-Dinh, took different types of nanostructure and used them for monitoring trace amounts of pollutants for detecting diseases in their earliest stages. The lead author of the present study, Chris Khoury, a graduate biomedical engineering student prepared gold nanostars by mixing gold particle seeds in a growth solution. After adding more gold to the size of the entire gold particle got increased. During the growth of nanostar, it is possible to vary the size and shape of nanostar in a controlled fashion and researchers found that the variations in star size resulted in the change of reflected light.

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