Fabrication of gold-nanoshell/polycaprolactonecomposite films with high electrical conductivity

• High quality gold nanoshells on silica microspheres synthesised.
• Homogeneous gold nanoshell/polycaprolactonecomposite films produced.
• Morphology and conductivity of composite films investigated.
• Comparatively high conductivity (1.5 S cm−1) for 16.9 wt% gold achieved.
• Nanoshell/polycaprolactone films promising for cardiac patch scaffold applications.

Gold nanoshells on 1.1 µm diameter silica cores were produced via a seeded growth approach and their quality evaluated using optical measurements. The particles were combined with polycaprolactone to produce a flexible biocompatible composite film with high conductivity (1.51 S cm−1) and relatively low effective gold loading (16.86 wt%) in comparison with other reports in the literature. The morphology of the composite was shown to comprise nanoshell-filled pores percolating a polymer-rich matrix. The obtained films have potential for biomedical applications such as in patches for cardiac tissue engineering, combining biocompatibility, flexibility and electrical conductivity.

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