Silica-Coated Gold NanoRods are optimized for applications such as Photoacoustic Imaging that require laser irradiation. Uncoated gold nanoparticles absorb pulsed-laser light energy and melt; changing the optical properties and destroying imaging signal. Most often, this nanorod shape change shifts absorption and scattering from near infrared (NIR) wavelengths to the visible spectrum1. For photoacoustic imaging and other applications where contrast requires near infrared light absorption, silica-coating is critical to produce reliable results.   Thermodynamic Instability of Uncoated Gold NanoRods    Click To Watch: video of an uncoated gold nanorod melting   NanoHybrids Silica-Coating  NanoHybrids' silica shell provides efficient, uniform heat transfer from the nanoparticles to