Self-Assembly of Chiral Nanoparticles

The field of chiral inorganic nanostructures emerged from the observation of strong circular dichroism for individual nanoparticles (NPs) and their assemblies. It includes now sophisticated nano-constructs from metals, semiconductors, ceramics, and nanocarbons with multiple chiral geometries with characteristic scales from Ångströms to microns. Uniquely high values of chiral anisotropy are attributed to resonances of incident electromagnetic radiation with plasmonic and excitonic states typical for metals and semiconductors.
Distinct similarities with chiral supramolecular and biological systems also emerged. They can be seen in the synthesis and separation methods, chemical properties of individual NPs, geometries of the nanoparticle assemblies, and interactions with biological counterparts. The analysis of these similarities with known biological, supramolecular, and liquid crystalline materials help us understand in greater depth the role of chiral asymmetry in Nature and accelerate the development of technologies based on chiroplasmonic and chiroexcitonic effects. If time permits, technological prospects of chiral inorganic materials with current front runners being biosensing, chiral catalysis, opolarization optics and chiral photonics will be discussed.