Plasmonic properties of regiospecific core-satellite assemblies of gold nanostars and nanospheresElectronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c4cp04517c

Solution-based molecularly-mediated bottom-up assembly of gold nanostars and nanospheres in regiospecific core-satellite nanoarchitectures is reported. The controlled assembly is driven by coupling reactions in solution between small, rigid, Raman-active organic molecules bound to the surface of the nanoparticles, and leads to much narrower interparticle gaps than achievable with DNA-based assembly methods. In the described system, gold nanostars with multiple sharp spikes, ideal for electromagnetic field enhancement, are used as the core particle onto which spherical satellites are assembled. Transmission electron micrographs show that the core-satellite structures assemble with