Magnetic-plasmonic nanoalloys: a new class of multimodal theranostic tool

The integration of multiple functionalities in a single object with nanometric size is crucial for the development of efficient tools for nanomedicine applications. Here we show how a synthetic approach based on laser ablation of a solid target in a liquid solution gives access to a library of multifunctional nanomaterials. In particular, we discuss the example of a binary metal alloy in which one of the two elements is a noble metal with plasmonic properties (gold), and the other element is a transition metal with magnetic properties (iron). The structure and surface conjugation of the magneto-plasmonic nanoalloy was engineered in order to gain the functions of a multimodal contrast agent for magnetic resonance imaging, x-ray computed thomography, photoacustic imaging and surface enhanced Raman imaging. The nanoalloy also shows promising performances as near infrared photothermal agent, thus it can be considered as a multimodal theranostic tool.