LAUSR

Manipulating the cross‐coupling of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to maximize the photothermal effect is a promising strategy for cancer therapy. Here, by taking advantage of the well‐known tetrazole/alkene photoclick chemistry, we have demonstrated for the first time that small AuNPs (23 nm) decorated with both 2,5‐diphenyltetrazole and methacrylic acid on their surfaces can form covalently crosslinked aggregates upon laser irradiation (λ=405 nm). In vitro studies indicated that the light‐triggered assembling shifted the surface plasmon resonance of AuNPs significantly to near‐infrared (NIR) regions, which as a consequence effectively enhanced the efficacy of photothermal therapy for 4T1 breast cancer cells. We thus believe that this new light‐triggered cross‐coupling approach might offer a valuable tool for cancer treatment.