Synergistic effects of Au nanoparticles in SiO₂@Au@Polyaniline system for improved photothermal performance

A SiO₂@Au@Polyaniline (SiO₂@Au@PAN) system has been successfully fabricated leveraging the synergistic effects of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to realize enhanced photothermal performance. The SiO₂@Au@PAN exhibited strong near-infrared (NIR) absorbance, excellent photothermal conversion efficiency, good dispersibility, and outstanding photostability. The SiO₂ nanospheres as the template provided numerous binding sites for coating of AuNPs. Subsequently, aniline was grafted onto SiO₂ to form PAN, which further facilitated the growth of AuNPs. The high efficiency of electron transfer from PAN to AuNPs was utilized to enhance the photothermal performance, resulting in a photothermal conversion efficiency of 41.47%. Additionally, the effects of SiO₂ with different sizes on the anchoring of AuNPs and the impact of aniline with varying concentrations on the morphology and photothermal properties of the materials were investigated. Finally, we verified the photothermal therapeutic (PTT) effect of SiO₂@Au@PAN at cellular level, with results demonstrating effective destruction of cancer cells. This work may provide an approach for establishing a multi-component PTT platform based on the synergistic effects of AuNPs, holding significant potential for biomedical and biochemistry applications.