Controlled assembly of biodegradable gold nanoclusters for in vivo imaging

Gold nanoparticles are of interest in biomedical imaging applications due to their inert nature and ability to exhibit surface plasmon resonance. These phenomena can result in high near-infrared extinction (NIR) due to asymmetry or close interparticle spacings within gold structures, making these materials ideal for photoacoustic imaging. Using this imaging modality, these materials allow for high contrast compared to the body’s tissues which exhibit a transparent “window” between 700-1100 nm, making them perfect for early cancer detection. However many gold structures designed for this application fail to achieve high NIR-absorbance at the