Templated nanowire assembly on the surface of a patterned nanosphere

The deposition of a single gold nanoparticle on a silica nanosphere (see Figure, left) is effected using a nanoporous membrane as template. These findings are significant because they offer the prospect of assembling novel asymmetric nanoscale architectures. In support of this assertion, the assembly of a gold nanowire at the surface of the patterned nanosphere (Figure, right) is demonstrated.