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Chemistry

The Role of Gold Nanoparticles in Plasmonic Photothermal Therapy

Quick fact

A single gold nanoparticle can absorb light so strongly that it heats its immediate surroundings by tens of degrees Celsius, enough to kill cancer cells—even though bulk gold is a poor absorber of visible light.

Why this is interesting

You've probably seen gold as a shiny, inert metal—yet tiny particles of gold can be used to heat and destroy cancer cells from the inside. How can the same material have such different behavior at the nanoscale?