Flexible synthesis of high-purity plasmonic assemblies

The self-assembly of nanoparticles has attracted a vast amount of attention due to the ability of the nanostructure to control light at the sub-wavelength scale,along with consequent strong electromagnetic field enhancement.However,most approaches developed for the formation of discrete assemblies are limited to a single and homogeneous system,and incorporation of larger or asymmetrical nanoparticles into assemblies with high purity remains a key challenge.Here,a simple and versatile approach to assemble nanoparticles of different sizes,shapes,and materials into various discrete homo-or hetero-structures using only two complementary deoxyribonucleic acid(DNA)strands is presented.First,surface functionalisation using DNA and alkyl-polyethylene glycol(PEG)enables transformation of as-synthesised nanoparticles into readily usable plasmonic building blocks for self-assembly.Optimisation of the DNA coverage enables the production of different assembly types,such as homo-and hetero-dimers,trimers and tetramers and core-satellite structures,which are produced in high purity using electrophoresis purification.The approach is extended from purely plasmonic structures to incorporate(luminescent)semiconductor nanoparticles for formation of hybrid assemblies.The deposited assemblies form a high yield of specific geometrical arrangements,attributed to the van der Waals attraction between particles.This method will enable the development of new complex colloidal nanoassemblies for biological and optical applications.