New method of grafting of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to glass surface was developed and investigated. The method based on glass activation by plasma discharge use dithiols for AuNP binding as an alternative to silane chemistry currently used for binding AuNPs onto glass surface. XPS measurements confirmed the presence of sulfur and gold on the modified glass surface. The presence of AuNPs on modified glass surface was then directly proven with AFM method. UV-vis spectra of samples with grafted AuNPs show a peak of SPR absorbance. With increasing modification time, more AuNPs are bound to the glass surface, which can aggregate. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.