Optical, synthetic and SERS analytical properties of gold nanostars

Nanostar-shaped gold nanoparticles are among the most efficient plasmonic materials for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) applications, enabling single-particle analysis. This Review summarizes and discusses the state-of-the-art synthetic approaches as well as the strict correlation of the optical properties of this intriguing class of nanomaterials with their morphological features. Finally, representative examples of their implementation into analytical SERS applications are illustrated.