In-stacking: a strategy for 3D nanoparticle assembly in densely-grafted polymer brushes

We introduce a facile strategy to obtain dense 3-dimensional assembly of non-functionalized gold nanoparticles into unmodified, end-tethered poly(oligo(ethylene glycol) methacrylate) bottle brushes of high grafting densities. Referred to as 'in-stacking', we present its mechanism based on evidence from UV-vis absorbance, AFM and FESEM.