Tunable multicolored hybrid metallic nanoparticles for live human cancer cell imaging

Gold/silver core/shell nanorods with precisely tunable resonance peaks covering the visible and near-infrared wavelength range were obtained using a simple wet-chemical synthesis approach. These nanoparticles surfaces can be further modified to improve their biocompatibility and stability in biological media. After conjugating with some biomolecules, these functionalized nanoparticles were used as multicolored optical probes for targeted dark field imaging of live human cancer cells. These experiments suggest that the gold/silver core/shell nanoparticles can serve as a potential platform for multichanneled and ultrasensitive bioimaging.