Towards In Vivo Tumor Detection Using Polarization and Wavelength Characteristics of Self-Assembled Gold Nanorods

This work suggests a novel concept for sensing the back-reflected and absorbed light at two polarization states and at several wavelengths based on self-assembled gold nanorods (SGNs). While the SGNs are flowing in the bloodstream, the reflected light has a low degree of polarization at the specific wavelength. In comparison, when the SGNs are not moving, such as when the SGNs are located in a tumor, the reflected light has a high degree of polarization. Impressively, the SGNs structures further display a considerably improved contrast in the diffusion reflection (DR) system. Such characteristics provide a new strategy for possible in vivo detection of a tumor with enhanced resolution.