End-to-end assembly of gold nanorods via oligopeptide linking and surfactant control

► End-to-end assembly of Au nanorod chains. ► Linking via an oligopeptide or a surfactant controlled self-linking process. ► Introducing chemical functionality into self-assembled nanochains. ► Nanogap width is controlled by length of oligopeptide. ► Reaction rate and extent is controlled by the surfactant concentration.