1. Laser Processing and Plasmonics Laboratory, Engineering Physics Department, école Polytechnique de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada;2. SUPA, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St. Andrews, North Haugh, St. Andrews, UK
Abstract:
We report on transient membrane perforation of living cancer cells using plasmonic gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) enhanced single near infrared (NIR) femtosecond (fs) laser pulse. Under optimized laser energy fluence, single pulse treatment (τ = 45 fs, λ = 800 nm) resulted in 77% cell perforation efficiency and 90% cell viability. Using dark field and ultrafast imaging, we demonstrated that the generation of submicron bubbles around the AuNPs is the necessary condition for the cell membrane perforation. AuNP clustering increased drastically the bubble generation efficiency, thus enabling an effective laser treatment using low energy dose in the NIR optical therapeutical window.
Schematic representation of single femtosecond laser pulse plasmonic bubble generation in the vicinity of a cell.
