LAUSR

Abstract In recent decades, the preparation of multi-functional nanoplatforms that integrate two or more abilities into a single nanocomposite has attracted increasing interest and potential applications in many fields. Here, we report a novel hybrid core-shell structured nanocomposite integrating the capabilities of metal-enhanced fluorescence (MEF) and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). The nanocomposite consists of porous gold nanoparticle as a magnifying material for both MEF and SERS, 4-aminothiophenol (ATP) molecule as Raman probe, gold nanocluster as the fluorescent emitter, and gelatin as the protecting outer shell. In this nanocomposite, the fluorescence intensity of the gold nanoclusters was enhanced by about four times, while the Raman signal of the ATP molecules was increased by 4 orders of magnitude. Additionally, the nanocomposite shows low cytotoxicity and good performance for fluorescence and SERS imaging of HeLa cells.