与球形金颗粒相比,棒状金颗粒具有更为特殊的表面等离子体共振(SPR)特性,通过控制不同长短轴比可以实现纵向SPR峰位置的人为调控(从可见光区到近红外光区)。由于金纳米棒表面SPR的强吸收导致的发光特性,使其在生物组织成像,癌症的诊断和治疗中存在着巨大的应用前景。结合配体的金纳米棒能够特异性地标记癌症细胞上的受体,并提供特定分子的特有信息,进行生物成像和癌症检测。另外,金纳米棒能够有效地吸收红外光能量进行局部加热,导致蛋白质变性,并致细胞死亡。主要回顾各种不同尺寸和形状的金纳米棒的光学特性,综述选择性标记的金纳米棒在生物成像,癌症诊断和光热疗法中的研究进展。

Compared with spherical gold particles,rod-shaped ones exhibit more unique properties of surface plasma resonance (SPR). Gold nanorods have two SPR peaks. The lengitudinal suface plasma resonances position depends on rods′ aspect ratio. Thus,the LSPR′s position can be controlled from the visible region to the near infrared by adjusting the aspect ratio of gold nanorods. Gold nanorods have great potential use in biological tissue imaging,cancer diagnosis and therapy because of it′s SPR and strong absorption induced luminescence. Au-ligand conjugates can specifically target the receptor on cancer cells,provide specific information about specific molecules,and allow molecular-specific imaging and cancer detection. Gold nanorods can efficiently absorb optical energy into localized heat,and induce protein denaturation and cells death.The optical properties of kinds of gold nanorods are summarized,and the research progress of selective targeting of gold nanorods in biological imaging,cancer diagnoses and photothermal therapy is reviewed.