The linker-templated structural differences produced a diverse range of far-field optical responses as reflected by the computed extinction cross section C(ω) (Figs. and). The 8mer gel exhibited a symmetric extinction spectrum resembling the isolated particle spectrum in Fig. , consistent with weak LSPR coupling and expected based on the lack of a contact peak in g cc (r). By comparison, the extinction cross section for the dimer gel was significantly broadened, reflecting strong LSPR coupling. This broadening embodies far-field signatures of both red-shifting and blue-shifting, consistent with a structure that contains contact pairs with an isotropic distribution of orientations relative to the incident field (Fig. ). As expected, the 5-mer and binary linker gels displayed cross sections consistent with LSPR coupling-induced broadening intermediate to that of the 8-mer and dimer networks. Despite similarities in the far-field optical properties of the 5-mer and the binary linker networks, differences become apparent upon examination of their near-field responses (Fig. ).