Kavli Affiliate: Xingde Li
| Authors: Yongping Chen and Xingde Li
| Summary:
This study investigates the synthesis of pH-responsive, reversible nanocomposites comprising polystyrene sulfonate (PSS)-coated gold nanorods and poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH)-coated gold nanorods, along with their optical properties. We observed a pH-dependent swelling/shrinking of the nanocomposites and a dramatic red-shift (~ 60 nm) of the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peaks as the pH changed from around 5.4 to 7.2 due to the increased side-by-side interactions of adjacent gold nanorods. These pH-responsive nanocomposites, with tunable SPR peaks, hold potential for use as contrast agents in optical molecular imaging.