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Updated: Feb 7, 2026
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Assembly of Gold Nanorods into Chiral Plasmonic Metamolecules Using DNA Origami Templates
Published on: March 5, 2019
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Temperature-Dependent Plasmonic Responses from Gold Nanoparticle Dimers Linked by Double-Stranded DNA
Laurent Lermusiaux1, Sébastien Bidault1
1ESPCI Paris , PSL Research University, CNRS, Institut Langevin , 1 rue Jussieu , F-75005 Paris , France.
Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids
|August 5, 2018
Summary
DNA-assembled gold nanoparticle dimers change shape and aggregate irreversibly above 50°C. Passivating nanoparticles with amphiphilic chemistries stabilizes these structures for biological applications.
Area of Science:
- Nanotechnology
- Materials Science
- Biophysics
Background:
- DNA is utilized to assemble gold nanoparticles into structures with tunable plasmonic properties.
- Nanoparticle structures can undergo temperature-induced modifications affecting their optical responses, especially in biological settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the temperature-dependent conformational changes and aggregation of DNA-linked gold nanoparticle dimers.
- To explore methods for stabilizing DNA-templated plasmonic nanostructures at biologically relevant temperatures.
Main Methods:
- Single-nanostructure spectroscopy was employed to analyze gold particle dimers.
- Amphiphilic surface chemistries were used to passivate gold nanoparticles.
Main Results:
- Even with stable DNA linkers, gold nanoparticle dimers showed significant conformational changes and irreversible aggregation above 50°C.
- Passivation of gold nanoparticles resulted in dimers whose optical properties were largely independent of local temperature.
Conclusions:
- Temperature fluctuations can destabilize DNA-templated gold nanostructures, impacting their optical properties.
- Surface passivation offers a strategy to create stable plasmonic nanostructures for applications in biological environments and temperature-sensitive devices.
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