Gold nanorods with sub-nanometer separation using cucurbit[n]uril for SERS applications

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Optical Physics

Background:

• Gold nanorods exhibit unique plasmonic properties.
• Controlling nanorod assembly is crucial for advanced optical applications.
• Cucurbit[n]uril macrocycles offer precise molecular recognition capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the ability of cucurbit[n]uril to align gold nanorods.
• To investigate the resulting optical coupling into the infrared region.
• To explore the application of this construct in surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy.

Main Methods:

• Utilized cucurbit[n]uril for directed self-assembly of gold nanorods.
• Employed cryo-transmission electron microscopy (Cryo-TEM) and tomographic imaging for structural confirmation.
• Performed comprehensive electromagnetic simulations to analyze plasmonic behavior.

Main Results:

• Confirmed the successful alignment of gold nanorods mediated by cucurbit[n]uril.
• Observed optical coupling into the infrared region due to nanorod alignment.
• Simulations predicted significant plasmonic enhancements in inter-particle junctions.

Conclusions:

• Cucurbit[n]uril is an effective agent for aligning gold nanorods.
• Aligned gold nanorods exhibit tunable infrared plasmonic properties.
• The cucurbit[n]uril-gold nanorod construct shows promise for enhanced spectroscopy techniques.