Click chemistry for the assembly of gold nanorods and silver nanoparticles

Click chemistry based on a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition between lipophilic gold nanorods (GNRs) containing an acetylene group with spherical silver nanoparticles containing an azide has been accomplished (see scheme). Phantom experiments show that this organic transformation did not affect the suitability of the gold nanorods as contrast agents for optoacoustic imaging.