CONCLUSION In conclusion, we successfully developed a robust colloidal synthesis of Au@AZO core@shell nanoparticles, demonstrating precise control over core size and shape, as well as shell thickness and composition. The distinct core@shell structure, along with its relatively narrow size distribution, was verified through scanning electron microscopy. Additionally, the optical properties of these nanomaterials were characterized using extinction spectroscopy, revealing strong absorption in the UV-region due to the ZnO band gap and within the visible region owing to the localized surface plasmon resonance of gold. Notably, the LSPR position is significantly modulated by core size, ZnO shell thickness and aluminum doping, demonstrating a high degree of tunability in these plasmonic/ENZ hybrid materials. Our research advances our understanding of the role of pH and surfactant concentration in the sol-gel synthesis of aluminumdoped zinc oxide and provides a synthetic strategy to produce highly uniform and tunable Au@AZO NPs, opening new avenues for their use in photonic devices. Future studies will focus on characterizing their non-linear optical properties and integrating them into real-world settings to test their performance under different environmental conditions and irradiation profiles.