Multifunctional Plasmon-Tunable Au Nanostars and Their Applications in Highly Efficient Photothermal Inactivation and Ultra-Sensitive SERS Detection.The development and application in different fields of multifunctional plasmonic nanoparticles (NPs) have always been research hotspots.  Herein, multi-tip Au nanostars (NSs) with an anisotropic structure were fabricated for the photothermal therapy (PTT) of bacteria and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detection of pollutants.  In addition, photothermal conversion performance of Au NSs with various Au seed additions was evaluated.  Photothermal conversion efficiency of Au NSs with optimal Au seed additions (50 μL) was as high as 28.75% under 808 nm laser irradiation, and the heat generated was sufficient to kill Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus).  This work demonstrates a promising multifunctional nanoplatform with great potential for efficient photothermal inactivation and ultra-sensitive SERS detection.
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