The localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of plasmonic nanomaterials is highly dependent on their structures. Going beyond simple shape and size, further structural diversification demands the growth of non‐wetting domains. Now, two new dimensions of synthetic controls in Au‐on‐Au homometallic nanohybrids are presented: the number of the Au islands and the emerging shapes. By controlling the interfacial energy and growth kinetics, a series of Au‐on‐AuNR hybrid structures are successfully obtained, with the newly grown Au domains being sphere and branched wire (nanocoral). The structural variety allowed the LSPR to be fine‐tuned in full spectrum range, making them excellent candidates for plasmonic applications. The nanocorals exhibit black‐body absorption and outstanding photothermal conversion capability in NIR‐II window. In vitro and in vivo experiments verified them as excellent photothermal therapy and photoacoustic imaging agents.
Hollow nanostructures are widely used in chemistry, materials, bioscience, and medicine, but their fabrication remains a great challenge. In particular, there is no effective strategy for their assembly and interconnection. We bring pottery, the oldest and simplest method of fabricating hollow containers, into the nanoscale. By exploiting the liquid nature of the xylene template, fullerene hollow nanostructures of tailored shapes, such as bowls, bottles, and cucurbits, are readily synthesized. The liquid templates permit stepwise and versatile manipulation and hence, modular assembly of nodes and junctions leads to interconnected hollow systems. As a proof-of-concept, we create multi-compartment nano-containers, with different nanoparticles isolated in the separate pockets. This methodology expands the synthetic freedom for hollow nanostructures, building a bridge from isolated hollow units to interconnected hollow systems.
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