Gold-plated silver nanoparticles engineered for sensitive plasmonic detection amplified by morphological changes.

Gold-plated silver nanoparticles have been developed to undergo morphological changes that enhance the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensing response. These morphological changes were realized through thin-frame gold plating that both reinforces the nanoparticle edges and enables partial silver etching upon exposure to several biological molecules, including thiols and amines.