| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1643837 | Materials Letters | 2014 | 4 Pages |
•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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