Effect of size and geometry of gold nanostructures in performance of laser-based hyperthermia: a multiscale- multiphysics modelling

The importance of hyperthermia as a promising method in disruption and removal of cancerous cells is well understood. One of the effective options of concentration of heat within a specific tissue is using laser and exploiting absorption properties of metallic nanostructures. In this report, the geometrical effect of gold nanostructures in the performance of laser based hyperthermia has been analyzed. The analysis is based on the consideration of absorption properties of gold nanostructures, interaction of laser light with a specific tissue containing nanostructures and the effect of generated heat on elevation of temperature inside the tissue. The analysis is performed using Mie theory (for extraction of absorption/scattering properties of nanostructures), Monte Carlo (MC) (interaction of light inside the tissue) and solving the heat equation (considering the elevation of temperature inside the tissue). We have compared the effect of a laser beam on the maximum temperature inside the tissue and the results indicate that focusing the beam size of the laser to half width will culminate in a 50% elevation of maximum temperature in the tissue, while the average temperature raise inside the tissue will not be altered.