A novel fabrication technique to print colloidal single-nanoparticle assemblies
onto flat surfaces was designed. The mean printing accuracy was found to be
60.8nm and printing yield was found to be 98.1%. The novel technique was
utilised to print nanoparticles on an array of surfaces. Changes in the spectral position of peaks in the dark field scattering spectrum of these nanoparticles were
indicative of strong optical coupling between nanoparticles and surfaces, likely
owing to the lack of adhesion layer between nanoparticle and surface. These
changes were supported and further illustrated through computer simulations.
Nanocubes printed via this technique were utilised for in situ SERS measurements of hot electron catalysis of halogenated thiophenols. Hot electron generation was also utilised to selectively cleave thiol-bonds on the surface of nanoantennas for nanoparticle placement on gold drop-tie antennas.