In this episode, we have a fascinating discussion with Dr. Manuguri and Dr. Ryssy on the dynamic world of plasmonic nanoparticles and the potentials of light as a modulating agent. They introduce us to their recent work on the orientational control of anisotropic plasmonic nanoparticles—a captivating approach that promises to create dynamic plasmonic responses.

The researchers guide us through their cutting-edge work where they used visible-light-induced photothermal effects to manipulate the orientation of gold nanorods within DNA-engineered hydrogel materials. They explain how the light-mediated approach prompts a deformation in the hydrogel matrix, leading to temperature-controlled polarization-dependent optical responses. The anisotropy of these responses proves to be highly adaptable to the nature of DNA crosslinks.

We delve into ...