Metal nanomaterial-based self-assembly: Development, electrochemical sensing and SERS applications

Metal nanomaterials (MNMs) have received considerable interest from different scientific communities due to their size, shape, composition and architecture-dependent chemical and physical properties. MNMs-based self-assembly techniques are often essential for creating new multi-dimensional assembly architectures, which are very important for revealing new or enhanced properties and application potentials. This feature article will focus on recent advances in MNMs-based self-assembly and their potential application in electrochemical sensor and surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). First, new significant developments in different self-assembly strategies for constructing two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) MNMs-based arrays or superstructures will be summarized. Then, diversified assembling approaches to different types of hybrid or multifunctional nanomaterials containing MNMs will be outlined. The review next introduces some exciting new pushes for the use of nanoarchitectures produced through self-assembly techniques for applications in electrochemical sensors and SERS. Finally, we conclude with a look at the future challenges and prospects of the development of MNMs-based self-assembly.