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Photothermal nanomachines

Molecular motion cools off gold nanoclusters

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Engineered ligand shells on gold nanoclusters utilizing molecular motion improve the thermal conductance between the cluster and the solvent, increasing thermal stability and enhancing performance in the photothermal treatment of cancerous tumours.

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Fig. 1: The excitation of molecular motion in TPE–AuNCs by electron–phonon resonance and its use to treat cancer by photothermal ablation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA

    Jacob L. Beckham & James M. Tour

  2. Smalley-Curl Institute, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA

    James M. Tour

  3. NanoCarbon Center, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA

    James M. Tour

  4. Rice Advanced Materials Institute, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA

    James M. Tour

  5. Department of Materials Science and Nanoengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA

    James M. Tour

  6. Department of Computer Science, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA

    James M. Tour

Authors
  1. Jacob L. Beckham
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  2. James M. Tour
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to James M. Tour.

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Competing interests

Rice University has patented molecular motor-based technologies for cancer treatment. These technologies have been licensed to a company in which J.M.T. is a shareholder, but he is not an officer, director or employee. Conflicts of interest are mitigated though regular disclosure to and compliance with the Rice University Office of Sponsored Programs and Research Compliance.

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Beckham, J.L., Tour, J.M. Molecular motion cools off gold nanoclusters. Nat. Mater. 23, 170–171 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-023-01756-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-023-01756-1

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