Chitosan films doped with gold nanorods as laser-activatable hybrid bioadhesives

Biocompatible chitosan/gold nanorods films are fabricated and tested as laser-activatable adhesives. When exposed to near-infrared laser light the nanoparticles carry out efficient photothermal conversion, which activates the polar groups of chitosan strands and mediates functional adhesion with a biological tissue. This technology may enable a number of key applications in medicine including tissue repair, wound dressing and drug delivery.