Light-Matter Interactions of Chiral Inorganic Nanomaterials

The studies of photonics phenomena in chiral inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) encompass sophisticated nanoscale constructs from metals, semiconductors, ceramics, and nanocarbons with multiple chiral geometries with characteristic scales from Ångströms to microns. What drives the rapid development of this field are the uniquely high values of optical anisotropy are attributed to resonances of incident electromagnetic radiation with plasmonic and excitonic states typical for metals and semiconductors as well as resonant states. Distinct similarities between the geometries and light-matter interactions involving chiral supramolecular and biological systems can also be traced. 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, chiroexcitonic, and chiromagnetic effects. Technological prospects of chiral inorganic materials with current front-runners being biosensing, chiral catalysis, polarization optics and chiral photonics will be discussed in this talk.