Coating matters: the influence of coating materials on the optical properties of gold nanoparticles

An essential element in the synthesis of nanomaterials based on gold nanoparticles comprises the control over parameters such as size, shape and composition, due to their strong influence on the properties of the particles. However, it is the coating material which often plays the primary role in tuning the size, morphology, and even plasmon resonance wavelength or mode multiplicity, as well as colloidal stability and functional versatility, ultimately determining the physical, chemical, optical, electronic and catalytic properties of the nanoparticles. Therefore, it is utterly important to select the adequate wet chemistry synthetic approach with the most suitable coating material for the preparation of gold nanoparticles with the desired requirements. Within this context, this review is focused on describing various types of organic and inorganic coating materials for gold nanoparticles that may notably affect their optical properties by either directly influencing the synthesis procedure or by changing their chemical and physical properties upon post-synthetic modifications, such that they exhibit novel and useful optical properties.