Gold Nanostars: Synthesis, Optical and SERS Analytical Properties

Invited for this month′s cover are the collaborating groups of Vincenzo Giannini, at the CSIC, Spain, and the Technology Innovation Institute, Abu Dhabi, Wolfgang J. Parak, at the Universitat Hamburg, Germany and Ramon A. Alvarez‐Puebla at ICREA and the Universitat Rovira i Virgili, both in Spain. The cover picture shows the capability of the gold nanostars to optically detect and classify, through SERS, events in very complex samples as required, for example, in liquid biopsies where the tumoral circulating cells hide in the pool of normal cells More information can be found in the Review by V. Giannini, W. J. Parak, R. A. Alvarez‐Puebla and co‐workers .