Article demonstrating the dynamic potential for tailoring the surface plasmon resonance (SPR), size, and shapes of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) starting from an Au(I) precursor, chloro(dimethyl sulfide)gold (I) (Au(Me2S)Cl), in lieu of the conventional Au(III) precursor hydrogen tetrachloroaurate (III) hydrate (HAuCl4). This approach presents a one-step method that permits regulation of an Au(I) precursor to form either visible-absorbing gold nanospheres or near-infrared-window (NIRW)-absorbing anisotropic AuNPs.

This article is an introduction to a special issue in Chaos, Solitons & Fractals with the goal of attracting submissions that identify unifying principles that describe the essential aspects of collective behavior, and which thus allow for a better interpretation and foster the understanding of the complexity arising in such systems.