Synthesis of gold nanorods for biomedical applications

Gold nanoparticles are commonly used in biomedical applications due to their high biocompatibility and easy modular functionality. Their unique optical properties, such as Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR), lead to a great light absorption in the visible range of the spectrum. Here, we show that the synthesis of non spherical gold nanoparticles causes the maximum absorption band to shift to the near-infrared region of the spectrum, thus avoiding overlaps with other biological tissues (eg. Haemoglobin in bloodstream)