From chiral biomolecules to chiral nanocrystals: A review of the latest developments and emerging concepts

Yisen Yao, Oscar Ávalos-Ovando, Tao Ding, Ramon A. Alvarez-Puebla, Peng Yu, Eric Ashalley, Li Ma, Zhiming Wang, Gil Markovich*, Alexander O. Govorov*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

Abstract

This article reviews the latest developments in the field of chiral nanocrystals (NCs), focusing primarily on plasmonic NCs. Such nanomaterials under illumination concentrate electromagnetic energy in their vicinity, enabling efficient biosensing, asymmetric photocatalysis, and light manipulation. Starting our discussion with Lord Kelvin's definition of chirality, we describe how enantiomer pairs appear when the molecule becomes progressively more complex. Making a comparison with Pasteur's chirality of molecules, we discuss nanoscale enantiomers lacking exact mirror symmetry, so-called nonexact enantiomers, and why they should appear fundamentally. Whereas chirality is an intrinsically three-dimensional (3D) concept describing perfect mirror-imaged pairs, a novel property of pseudo-chirality is handy for understanding two-dimensional (2D) systems, including the case of plasmonic growth with circularly polarized light. The topics considered in the review include bio-templated NCs, chiral bio-assemblies, transfer of chirality from biomolecules to NCs, chirality and pseudo-chirality in 3D and 2D systems, growth of NCs under circularly polarized excitation, and more.

Original languageEnglish
Article number102544
JournalChem
DOIs
StateAccepted/In press - 2025

Keywords

  • bio-assembly
  • chiral nanocrystals
  • chiral plasmonics
  • circular dichroism
  • DNA assemblies
  • photochemistry
  • SDG3: Good health and well-being
  • SDG9: Industry, innovation, and infrastructure

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