Polymer-grafted porous hollow silica nanoparticles prepared by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerisation have an upper critical solution temperature of 45 °C. Conjugation of 5 nm gold nanoparticles onto polymer-grafted porous hollow silica nanoparticles enables remarkable specific photothermally-induced controlled release of encapsulated Rhodamine B by laser-stimulation at physiological temperature.