Size, Diffusion, and Sedimentation of Gold Nanorods

We have used four different analytical techniques (electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC), and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) to measure the length and width as well as the diffusion coefficients of gold nanorods of different aspect ratio. All four methods could reproduce the trends in aspect ratio, and both length and width could be extracted once the ligand shell was accounted for. The CTAB bilayer coating was determined to have a thickness of 3.34, 3.02, and 3.26 nm by SAXS, DLS, and AUC, respectively. TEM nevertheless yielded the best predictions for the nanorod ensemble surface plasmon resonance by using COMSOL simulations. All four methods yielded better fits when the rods were treated as spherically capped cylinders.