A new class of plasmonic materials have been developed by decorating silica NWs decorated with metal NPs. These materials are characterized by morphological and optical features
very attractive for biosensing applications. First, they form a dense 3D ensemble of metal NPs, easily accessible to liquids, vapors, or biomolecules due to the macroporous structure of the
NWforest and the large interparticle distance. Second, they offer absorption enhancement at the LSPR wavelengths because of light trapping effects in the NW forest. Their potential as plasmonic sensors is shown  by monitoring their behavior as refractive-index sensors and achieving very high sensitivities.