Photothermolysis of immobilized bacteria on gold nanograil arrays

Abstract

Photothermolysis technique via array of gold nanograils had been developed by illuminating near infrared laser light onto captured bacteria in metal nanostructure. The strong electromagnetic field enhancement at the sharp edges of the gold nanograils produced local heating that was sufficient to break the thick cell walls of the gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus cells within a short time. Individual cells in the nanograil array can be selectively lysed by adjusting the laser scanning area to the micrometer scale. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3598445]