Near-Infrared-Responsive Choline-Calix[4]arene-Gold Nanostructures for Potential Photothermal Cancer Treatment

The development of novel chemical approaches for the fabrication of gold nanostructures with localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) falling in the near-infrared (NIR) region is one challenging topic in nanomaterials science. Due to their optical and photothermal properties triggered by light excitation in the therapeutic window (λmax = 650-1300 nm), gold-based nanostructures are appealing candidates in anticancer nanomedicine. Here, we report a novel method to prepare water-dispersible gold nanostructures with NIR-LSPR (λmax = 600-1000 nm) properties. The gold nanostructures were achieved in a single step by an unconventional method using NADH as a reducing agent and an amphiphilic chol…