Assembly of Polymer-Tethered Gold Nanoparticles under Cylindrical Confinement

The assembly of polystyrene (PS)-tethered gold nanoparticles (Au@PS NPs) in anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) cylindrical nanopores was investigated. This cylindrical confined assembly strategy allows us to generate novel assemblies (e.g., linear chain, zigzag, two-NP layer, three-NP layer, and hexagonally packed NP structures) by manipulating the AAO membrane pore size and molecular weight of PS ligands. Moreover, the optical property of the hybrid assemblies can be tuned through varying the interparticle distances and assembly structures. This work provides a guideline for confined assembly of functional NPs and lays groundwork for fabricating well-ordered hybrid nanostructures for optical, electronic, biosensing, and data storage devices.