Optically induced microbubbles around gold nanorods: The influence of particle parameters and environment on cavitation threshold

Photoacoustic imaging and microsurgery are attracting interest for cancer treatment. The absorption of light triggers thermoelastic processes that cause the emission of ultrasounds and even cavitation. The emission of ultrasounds is exploited to reconstruct images, while cavitation may be used to destroy malignant cells. Gold nanorods have been investigated as contrast agents for photoacoustic imaging, but still little is known about their use to trigger cavitation. Here, we present a method for measuring the photocavitation thresholds of gold nanorods. We expect that these results will provide useful indications to develop new theranostic techniques based on the interaction of light and ultrasounds.