Plasmonic Nanorods investigating for cancer cell imaging and photothermal therapy

Abstract

The absorption of electromagnetic radiation by gold nanoparticles at the nanometer scale is of prime importance in several applications owing to the strong plasmon field at the surface. Further, the electron-phonon and phonon-phonon interactions converting the absorbed radiation into heat is vital for cancer cell imaging and photothermal therapy. In the present study, we report on a numerical investigation of gold nanorods bathing in a tumorous tissue. Moreover, emphasis is put on a numerical simulation of the plasmonic response of the gold nanorods and the effect of geometric parameters variation. The computations are done using a theoretical model where the Maxwell’s equations are solved in the frequency domain using the finite element method. The evaluation of the change in the frequency at maximum absorption as a function of geometric parameters is discussed. These results should guide design of optimized optical contrast agents for molecular imaging.