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Hollow Nanostars with Photothermal Gold Caps and Their Controlled Surface Functionalization for Complementary Therapies
Author(s) -
Wang Ranran,
Zhao Nana,
Xu FuJian
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.201700256
Subject(s) - photothermal therapy , materials science , surface modification , nanotechnology , atom transfer radical polymerization , colloidal gold , glycidyl methacrylate , nanoparticle , photothermal effect , polymerization , polymer , chemical engineering , composite material , engineering
Gold nanoparticles exhibiting absorption in the desirable near‐infrared region are attractive candidates for photothermal therapy (PTT). Furthermore, the construction of one nanoplatform employing gold nanoparticles for complementary therapy is still a great challenge. Here, well‐defined unique hollow silica nanostars with encapsulated gold caps (starlike Au@SiO 2 ) are readily synthesized using a sacrificial template method. Ethanolamine‐functionalized poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (denoted as BUCT‐PGEA) brushes are then grafted controllably from the surface of starlike Au@SiO 2 nanoparticles via surface‐initiated atom transfer radical polymerization to produce starlike Au@SiO 2 ‐PGEA. The photothermal effect of gold caps with a cross cavity can be utilized for PTT. The interior hollow feature of starlike Au@SiO 2 nanoparticles endows them with excellent drug loading capability for chemotherapy, while the polycationic BUCT‐PGEA brushes on the surface provide good transfection performances for gene therapy, which will overcome the penetration depth limitation of PTT for tumor therapy. Compared with ordinary spherical Au@SiO 2 ‐PGEA counterparts, the starlike Au@SiO 2 ‐PGEA hybrids with sharp horns favor endocytosis, which can contribute to enhanced antitumor effectiveness. The rational integration of photothermal gold caps, hollow nanostars, and polycations through the facile strategy might offer a promising avenue for complementary cancer therapy.