Controlled assembly of Au nanorods is desirable for electronic and sensing applications. The linear assembly of these materials has been demonstrated through preferential attachement of linking molecules to the nanorod tips via formation of a Au-S bond between the nanorod surface and the molecule. Using this technique, end-to-end assembly of the materials in solution has been achieved using biotin-streptavidin, biorecognition elements, ion-crown ether binding, etc., One unique assembly has been demonstrated using the simple amino acid cysteine.