PNIPAM Gel-Coated Gold Nanorods for Targeted Delivery Responding to a Near-Infrared Laser

Gold nanorods can be used as photothermal converters, permitting near-infrared (NIR) light to be transmitted deep into tissues without causing damage. We prepared hybrid nanorods with a core−shell structure, i.e., a single gold nanorod encapsulated in a poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) nanogel. Hybrid nanorods demonstrated remote, reversible, pulsatile phase transition and in vivo action after irradiation using a NIR laser.