Molecular plasmonics: light meets molecules at the nanoscale

Certain metal nanoparticles exhibit the effect of localized surface plasmon resonance when interacting with light, based on collective oscillations of their conduction electrons. The interaction of this effect with molecules is of great interest for a variety of research disciplines, both in optics and in the life sciences. This paper attempts to describe and structure this emerging field of molecular plasmonics, situated between the molecular world and plasmonic effects in metal nanostructures, and demonstrates the potential of these developments for a variety of applications.