Facile Preparation of Ultrasmall Void Metallic Nanogap from Self‐Assembled Gold–Silica Core–Shell Nanoparticles Monolayer via Kinetic Control

A facile preparation of ultrasmall 1–2 nm void metallic nanogaps on various solid substrates is proposed by utilizing the self-assembly of a uniform gold–silica core–shell nanoparticle monolayer at interfaces and chemical etching. The ultrasmall void metallic nanogap shows key advantages such as a strong near-field enhancement and free diffusion of analytes to the gap, which are useful in molecular sensing and monitoring. As a service to our authors and readers, this journal provides supporting information supplied by the authors. Such materials are peer reviewed and may be re-organized for online delivery, but are not copy-edited or typeset. Technical support issues arising from supporting information (other than missing files) should be addressed to the authors. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.