Multifaceted polymer coated, gold nanoparticles

Gold nanoparticles modified with a two (or multi-) component polymer brush coating are an exciting class of nanomaterials. The presentation of two (or more) different polymer components can lead to truly multifaceted nanoparticles that can incorporate multiple functionalities and can also possess nanopatterned surface morphologies. This article gives an overview of the state-of-the-art methods that are available for the preparation of such nanoparticles and discusses both from an experimental as well as theoretical perspective the possibilities and prospects of using two (or multi-) component polymer brush coatings to generate chemically nanopatterned nanoparticles, to modulate the properties and stimuli-responsiveness of nanoparticles as well as to direct their assembly into hierarchically organized superstructures.