Dendrimer driven self-assembly of SPR active silver-gold nanohybrids.

A fourth generation PAMAM dendrimer has been successfully employed for the development of a single step synthesis strategy for self-assembled Ag–Au nanohybrid structures. The surface plasmon resonance properties and the degree of self-assembly of the nanohybrid are strongly correlated with the stoichiometry of the metals which gives rise to enhanced plasmonic properties. The enhanced plasmonic response of the nanohybrids is modeled and is validated experimentally in a model HRP (horseradish peroxidise) bioassay carried out on an SPR-based biochip platform.