Recent advances in energy transfer processes in gold-nanoparticle-based assemblies

Abstract

This feature article highlights the recent developments of energy transfer processes of Au-nanoparticle-based assemblies. Many recent studies reveal that the energy transfer from dye to Au nanoparticle is a surface energy transfer process as established from 1/d⁴ distance dependence. Such distance dependent energy transfer phenomenon serves as spectroscopic ruler for long distance measurement. Recently, energy transfer processes in Au nanoparticle assemblies have been used to understand specific binding site and conformational changes of protein, DNA hybridization, RNA folding/unfolding, metal ion detection, and designing of new optical-based materials using porous materials. Here we highlight various aspects of energy transfer between dye molecule and Au nanoparticle, particularly focusing on the size- and shape-dependent energy transfer, understanding the interactions between biomolecules (protein, DNA, and RNA) and Au nanoparticle and the energy transfer between confined dye and Au nanoparticle. The designing of nanostructures materials with efficient energy transfer between confined dye in porous materials (mesoporous silica, zeolites, and cyclodextrin) and Au nanoparticle for developing new photonic devices has also been highlighted. Interesting findings reveal that Au-nanoparticle-based energy transfer offers an exciting opportunity to overcome many obstacles and this will help to solve the challenging problems for future applications. Finally, a tentative outlook on future developments of this research field is given.