Skip to content
DraconiticResearch
Search Sources API
210,049 studies31 sourcesUpdated 52 min ago
Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Small (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany)

NIR‐Responsive Gold Nanorod Capsules for Efficient Cargo Encapsulation and Release

  • Dongyu Zhang1
  • Takehiro Yachi2
  • Daisuke Unabara2
  • Tasuku Hamaguchi2
  • Koji Yonekura2,3
  • Kiyoshi Kanie2,4
  • Kuniharu Ijiro5
  • Hideyuki Mitomo5
5 affiliations
  1. 1Graduate School of Life Science Hokkaido University Sapporo Japan
  2. 2Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials Tohoku University Sendai Japan
  3. 3Biostructural Mechanism Laboratory Hyogo Japan
  4. 4International Center for Synchrotron Radiation Innovation Smart Tohoku University Sendai Japan
  5. 5Research Institute for Electronic Science Hokkaido University Sapporo Japan
Read full textPDFDOICite

Abstract

Gold nanoparticle‐based vesicular nanostructures are attractive drug delivery platforms because of their tunable plasmonic properties; however, simultaneously achieving efficient cargo encapsulation, robust aqueous stability, and controllable near‐infrared (NIR)‐triggered release remains challenging. Herein, water‐dispersible and NIR‐responsive gold nanorod capsules (Au NrCs) are fabricated from mini‐gold nanorods (mini‐Au NRs) and small amphiphilic hexaethylene glycol (EG6) ligands via a solute‐induced phase separation strategy. Owing to their compact dimensions and tunable longitudinal localized surface plasmon resonance, the mini‐Au NRs enable assembly within sub‐200 nm nanocapsules while retaining NIR responsiveness. During capsule formation, nanoparticles and DNA cargoes are simultaneously encapsulated and concentrated within the capsules through liquid‐liquid phase separation, achieving approximately 90% DNA encapsulation efficiency and more than 1000‐fold enrichment. Furthermore, amino‐terminated EG6 ligands enable post‐assembly crosslinking of the Au NrCs with diepoxy‐polyethylene glycol, improving aqueous stability and dispersibility. The resulting Au NrCs exhibit efficient cargo release (>95% within a few minutes) under low‐power 810 nm NIR LED irradiation through capsule disassembly, highlighting the potential of plasmonic nanocapsules for externally controlled delivery under relatively mild NIR LED irradiation conditions. These results establish a plasmonic nanocarrier platform integrating concentration‐assisted cargo encapsulation, enhanced aqueous stability, and controllable NIR‐triggered release, providing a basis for future drug delivery applications.

Related

  1. Synthesis, Physicochemical Characteristics, Self‐Assembly and Encapsulation Ability of per‐Ethylene‐Glycol‐Functionalized Resorcin[4]Arenes and Their Molecular Capsules: On the Road to Liquid Capsules
    Gangadhara Angajala, Inbar Horin, Tamar Evan‐Salem +1
    Chemistry (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany)Peer-reviewedCC BY-NC 4.0Full textOrganic chemistryPMC
  2. Near-Infrared-Responsive Au Nanorod/UiO-66-NH2 Hybrids for Photocatalytic Carbon Dioxide Conversion
    Martin Osemba, Adrián Chávez Huerta, Samuel Karenga +1
    ChemRxivPreprintCC BYFull textGeneral chemistryChemRxiv
  3. Wireless, spatially controlled in-situ methotrexate drug encapsulation and release from PEDOT films
    Áine Brady, Ewa Bieniasz, Karina Matekonis +1
    Electrochemistry CommunicationsPeer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Full textMaterials & polymersCrossref
  4. Encapsulation of biocontrol agents in alginate hydrogels: A strategy for enhanced stability and release
    Camille Colin, Emma Akpo, Lina Ait-Ameur +4
    Carbohydrate Polymer Technologies and ApplicationsPeer-reviewedCC BY5 citedGeneral chemistryHAL
  5. β-Sitosterol–Naringenin Co-Loaded Nanophytosomes: Encapsulation, Compound-Specific Release Kinetics, Machine Learning-Assisted Release Prediction, and Cell-Dependent Anticancer Activity
    Tabarek H. Mahmood, Ali Al-Samydai, Firas F. Al-Mamoori +11
    International Journal of Molecular SciencesPeer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Materials & polymersCrossref

Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{zhang2026nirresponsive,
  title = {{NIR‐Responsive Gold Nanorod Capsules for Efficient Cargo Encapsulation and Release}},
  author = {Dongyu Zhang and Takehiro Yachi and Daisuke Unabara and Tasuku Hamaguchi and Koji Yonekura and Kiyoshi Kanie and Kuniharu Ijiro and Hideyuki Mitomo},
  journal = {Small (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany)},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.1002/smll.75754},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.75754},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - NIR‐Responsive Gold Nanorod Capsules for Efficient Cargo Encapsulation and Release
AU  - Dongyu Zhang
AU  - Takehiro Yachi
AU  - Daisuke Unabara
AU  - Tasuku Hamaguchi
AU  - Koji Yonekura
AU  - Kiyoshi Kanie
AU  - Kuniharu Ijiro
AU  - Hideyuki Mitomo
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/23
JO  - Small (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany)
DO  - 10.1002/smll.75754
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.75754
AB  - Gold nanoparticle‐based vesicular nanostructures are attractive drug delivery platforms because of their tunable plasmonic properties; however, simultaneously achieving efficient cargo encapsulation, robust aqueous stability, and controllable near‐infrared (NIR)‐triggered release remains challenging. Herein, water‐dispersible and NIR‐responsive gold nanorod capsules (Au NrCs) are fabricated from mini‐gold nanorods (mini‐Au NRs) and small amphiphilic hexaethylene glycol (EG6) ligands via a solute‐induced phase separation strategy. Owing to their compact dimensions and tunable longitudinal localized surface plasmon resonance, the mini‐Au NRs enable assembly within sub‐200 nm nanocapsules while retaining NIR responsiveness. During capsule formation, nanoparticles and DNA cargoes are simultaneously encapsulated and concentrated within the capsules through liquid‐liquid phase separation, achieving approximately 90% DNA encapsulation efficiency and more than 1000‐fold enrichment. Furthermore, amino‐terminated EG6 ligands enable post‐assembly crosslinking of the Au NrCs with diepoxy‐polyethylene glycol, improving aqueous stability and dispersibility. The resulting Au NrCs exhibit efficient cargo release (>95% within a few minutes) under low‐power 810 nm NIR LED irradiation through capsule disassembly, highlighting the potential of plasmonic nanocapsules for externally controlled delivery under relatively mild NIR LED irradiation conditions. These results establish a plasmonic nanocarrier platform integrating concentration‐assisted cargo encapsulation, enhanced aqueous stability, and controllable NIR‐triggered release, providing a basis for future drug delivery applications.
SN  - 1613-6810
SN  - 1613-6829
ER  -