Gold nanocrystals: optical properties, fine-tuning of the shape, and biomedical applications

Noble metal nanomaterials with special physical and chemical properties have attracted considerable attention in the past decades. In particular, Au nanocrystals (NCs), which possess high chemical inertness and unique surface plasmon resonance (SPR), have attracted extensive research interest. In this study, we review the properties and preparation of Au NCs with different morphologies as well as their important applications in biological detection. The preparation of Au NCs with different shapes by many methods such as seed-mediated growth method, seedless synthesis, polyol process, ultrasonic method, and hydrothermal treatment has already been introduced. In the seed-mediated growth method, the influence factors in determining the final shape of Au NCs are discussed. Au NCs, which show significant size-dependent color differences are proposed for preparing biological probes to detect biomacromolecules such as DNA and protein, while probe conjugate molecules serves as unique coupling agents with a target. Particularly, Au nanorods (NRs) have some unique advantages in the application of biological probes and photothermal cancer therapy compared to Au nanoparticles (NPs).