Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 25, 2026

Versatile Technique to Produce a Hierarchical Design in Nanoporous Gold
Published on: February 10, 2023
Tailoring the structure of nanopyramids for optimal heat generation
Warefta Hasan1, Christopher L Stender, Min Hyung Lee
1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208-3113, USA.
Abstract:
This paper investigates how structural features of noble metal nanoparticles affect their photothermal properties. Using PEEL, we fabricated a range of Au nanopyramid-like particles with surface plasmon resonances tunable from visible to near-infrared wavelengths. By systematically varying geometric parameters including size, shell thickness, and presence or absence of tips, we determined which factors were most important in heat generation. For solutions with the same Au content, we discovered that pyramidal particles with thin shells and having sharp tips showed the largest photothermal response.

