Regioselective surface functionalization of lithographically designed gold nanorods by plasmon-mediated reduction of aryl diazonium salts

Site-selective surface functionalization of anisotropic gold nanoparticles represents a major breakthrough for fully exploiting nanoparticle anisotropy. In this paper, we explore an original strategy for the regioselective functionalization of lithographically designed gold nanorods (AuNRs), based a combination of photo-induced plasmon excitation and aryl diazonium salt chemistry. Regioselective surface functionalization of gold nanorods is achieved using the plasmon-mediated reduction of aryl diazonium salts.