Growth, Assembly and Transformation of Plasmonic Nanostructures in Confined Spaces

Growth, assembly, and transformation in confined spaces represent a set of indirect methods for producing colloidal plasmonic nanostructures with highly tunable morphologies and configurable optical properties. We will discuss the basic working mechanisms involved in such synthesis and assembly strategies, their applicability, and the directions of future efforts. We will reveal the unique feature of the space-confinement method in creating thermodynamically unstable nanostructures. Upon removing the confinement, these nanostructures transform into more stable morphologies through reconstruction, providing opportunities for designing new nanostructures with promising applications in sensing, anti-counterfeiting, information encryption, and displays. Further, we will discuss the many opportunities of this synthesis strategy in creating hybrid nanostructures that integrate the plasmonic property with other physical properties