| Abstract Scope |
Nanothermometry enables precise temperature measurement at the nanoscale, providing critical insights into biological, chemical, and physical processes. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), with their unique optical properties, serve as excellent platforms for nanoscale temperature sensing. When functionalized with stem-loop DNA structures exhibiting various melting points, these systems achieve high sensitivity in detecting temperature changes through conformational switching. This manuscript reviews the principles, fabrication strategies, and characterization of AuNP-DNA nanothermometers, highlighting their potential for applications in biomedical diagnostics, photothermal therapy monitoring, catalysis, and other nanoscale processes. The combination of plasmonic nanoparticles with programmable nucleic acids provides a robust, tunable, and biocompatible system for real-time thermal sensing and temperature mapping. The nanothermometers were characterized using various techniques, including fluorescence spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV-Vis spectroscopy, and phase analysis light scattering (PALS). |