Rod-like gold nanoparticles are directly embedded in a 1D-polymeric spin crossover (SCO) material leading to singular Au@SCO nanohybrid architectures. The resulting architectures are designed to promote a synergetic effect between ultrafast spin-state photoswitching and photothermal properties of plasmonic nanoparticles. This synergy is evidenced by the strong modulation of the surface plasmon resonance of the gold nanorods through the spin-state switching of the SCO component and also the strong enhancement of the photoswitching efficiency compared to pure SCO particles. This remarkable synergy results from the large modulation of the dielectric properties of the SCO polymer upon its thermal switching and the enhancement of the heating of these hybrid nanostructures upon excitation of the surface plasmon resonance of the gold nanorods.

Deposition of metals on TiO semiconductor particles (M-TiO ) results in hybrid Janus objects combining the properties of both materials. One of the techniques proposed to generate Janus particles is bipolar electrochemistry (BPE). The concept can be applied in a straightforward way for the site-selective modification of conducting particles, but is much less obvious to use for semiconductors. Herein we report the bulk synthesis of anisotropic M-TiO particles based on the synergy of BPE and photochemistry, allowing the intrinsic limitations, when they are used separately, to be overcome. When applying electric fields during irradiation, electrons and holes can be efficiently separated, thus breaking the symmetry of particles by modifying them selectively and in a wireless way on one side with either gold or platinum. Such hybrid materials are an important first step towards high-performance designer catalyst particles, for example for photosplitting of water.