Discrete, Hierarchical Nanoparticle Assemblies and their Applications

Nanosized gold particles have unique properties that are very promising for applications in medicine, renewable energy and information technology. At this scale (more than one-hundred times smaller than a human hair), the particles can efficiently guide and focus light. This effect can be influenced and enhanced several thousand times by arranging the particles in precisely defined structures. Conventional fabrication techniques either cannot fabricate such structures or can only do so at high costs. In this project, a simple and efficient fabrication method was developed and investigated. This led to the successful fabrication of the aspired and sought after nanostructures.