A new publication from COMPASS researchers, including Chansong Kim and colleagues, highlights exciting advancements at the intersection of surface patchiness design and plasmonic nanoparticles—a rapidly emerging area in materials science and nanotechnology.
Published in March 2025, the article titled “Polymer-Patched Plasmonic Nanoparticles” reviews how applying nature-inspired patchy surface patterns to plasmonic nanoparticles introduces nonuniform chemical and physical properties that drive novel behaviors. These “patchy” particles exhibit directional interactions that make them ideal candidates for self-assembly and hybrid material design.
This approach allows for enhanced plasmonic resonance coupling—optical phenomena that arise when light interacts with metal nanoparticles—leading to functional structures not possible with uniformly coated nanoparticles. As the article outlines, these properties have far-reaching implications for catalysis, biomedicine, sensing, robotics, and metamaterials.
The review provides an overview of synthesis techniques, assembly strategies, and real-world applications of these advanced materials, while also offering a forward-looking perspective on opportunities and challenges in the field.
This work exemplifies COMPASS’s commitment to pushing boundaries in the design and understanding of programmable, responsive nanoscale systems.
Read the full article here.