Novel colloidal composites have been designed to incorporate multiple functionalities that allow optical detection, magnetic manipulation, molecular trapping, and thermal response. Such particles are made of gold nanoparticle cores covered by a thin layer of metallic nickel and a poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAM) shell. While the gold cores provide efficient optical response through localized surface plasmon resonances, nickel allows external magnetic manipulation and the pNIPAM shell can be swollen or collapsed as a function of temperature, thus allowing capture and release of various types of molecules.