World Scientific Reference on Plasmonic Nanomaterials: Principles, Design and Bio-applications is a book collection that encompasses multiple aspects of the exciting and timely field of nanoplasmonics, under the coordination of international plasmonic nanomaterials expert, Dr Luis Liz-Marzán. Plasmonics has a long history, from stained glass in ancient cathedrals, through pioneering investigations by Michael Faraday, all the way into the nanotechnology era, where it blossomed into an extremely active field of research with potential applications in a wide variety of technologies. Given the breadth of the materials, phenomena and applications related to plasmonics, this Reference Set offers a collection of chapters within dedicated volumes, focusing on the description of selected phenomena, with an emphasis in chemistry as an enabling tool for the fabrication of, often sophisticated, plasmonic nanoarchitectures and biomedicine as the target application. Basic principles of surface plasmon resonances are described, as well as those mechanisms related to related phenomena such as surface-enhanced spectroscopies or plasmonic chirality. Under the guidance of theoretical models, wet chemistry methods have been implemented toward the synthesis of a wide variety of nanoparticles with different compositions and tailored morphology. But often the optimal nanoarchitecture requires post-synthesis treatments, including functionalization of nanoparticle surfaces, application of external stimuli toward self-assembly into well-defined supraparticle structures and so-called supercrystals. All such nanomaterials can find applications in various biomedical aspects, most often in relation to diagnosis, through either the detection of disease biomarkers at extremely low concentrations or the design of bioimaging methods for in vivo monitoring. Additionally, novel therapeutic tools can also profit from plasmonic nanomaterials, such as photothermal therapy or nanocatalysis. The reference set thus offers comprehensive information of an extremely active subset within the world of plasmonic nanomaterials and their applications, which aims at not just collecting existing knowledge but also promoting further research and technology transfer into the market and the clinic.
