Photothermal Reshaping of Gold Nanorods Depends on the Passivating Layers of the Nanorod Surfaces

Photothermal reshaping of gold nanorods was triggered by pulsed-laser irradiation. The efficiency of the reshaping was strongly dependent on the surface conditions of the gold nanorods. When the gold nanorods were dispersed in concentrated hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), the gold nanorods were efficiently transformed into a phi-shape. By comparison when poly(styrene sulfonate), poly(vinylpyrrolidone), poly(ethylene glycol), or phosphatidylcholine layers were used, the CTAB layers were found to be a better thermal insulator that helped to enhance the photothermal reshaping of the gold nanorods.