| abstract |
The invention relates generally to polyvalent macromolecules comprising: (a) a polymer backbone and (b) pendent groups attached to said polymer backbone, wherein some or all of said pendent groups comprise: (i) optionally a linker, (ii) a surface-seeking group, which is capable of binding strongly to a metal surface, (iii) optionally a chromophore, which is detectable by at least one spectroscopic method. Such molecules can modify metal surfaces and have a variety of uses including (without limitation) appending chromophores to metal surfaces without the need to establish complex chemistry; for the stabilisation and labelling of metal nanoparticles; and for preparing and aggregating nanoparticles in a controlled fashion. |