A metal nanoparticle supported on or dispersed in a polymer is irradiated with photons from a laser source to address the nanoparticles. The polymer is transmissive to the photons and addressed nanoparticles transform the energy of the photon to heat which is transferred to a material in the vicinity of the nanoparticle. The locally heated material undergoes a physical or chemical transformation upon heating. The transformed material can be a material in the proximity of the metal nanoparticle supported polymer or metal nanoparticle/polymer composite. In this manner thermally induced physical or chemical transformations can be carried out in very small volumes of material without significant heating to the bulk of the material.