Mixed metal nanoparticle assembly and the effect on surface-enhanced Raman scattering.

Here we report the assembly of mixed metal nanoparticles using an oligonucleotide-templated approach. Substitution of one of the gold nanoparticle probes with an analogous silver probe to produce a hetero-metal duplex permitted surface-enhanced Raman scattering of a dye label, exploiting the improved surface enhancement properties of silver nanoparticles whilst maintaining the surface chemistry benefits of gold nanoparticles.