Dielectrophoretic self-assembly of Au nanorods for sensing applications

Anisotropic 1-D metal nanostructures are attractive building block for future optoelectronic nanoscale devices and systems. However, a critical challenge remains the lack of manipulation methods that enable controlled positioning and orientation of metal nanostructures in a fast, reliable and scalable manner. To address this challenge, we explore dielectrophoretic based assembly of discrete gold nanorods and demonstrate site selective assembly and orientation of these rods. The demonstrated optical sensitivity of such large order nanostructures to the local environment opens the way to development of nanoscale sensing devices.