Article in Small (2025)

18 07 2025

Researchers from the Faculty of Chemistry at the University of Warsaw (Natalia Kowalska, Filip Bandalewicz, Artur Le Hoang), under the supervision of Dr. hab. Wiktor Lewandowski, Prof. UW, in collaboration with Prof. Artur Stefankiewicz (Adam Mickiewicz University) and Prof. Da Wang (South China Normal University), have published an article in _Small_ titled: “MULTIDENTATE CHIRALITY INDUCERS IN THE SYNTHESIS OF INTRINSICALLY CHIRAL GOLD NANOPARTICLES: EFFECTS OF MULTIPLICITY AND SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF CYSTEINE” (DOI: 10.1002/smll.202408004).

In this work, we describe a new class of organic compounds that serve as chirality inducers in the synthesis of morphologically chiral gold nanoparticles. Our concept was to integrate synthetic motifs (an aromatic core) with natural ones (cysteine-containing groups) within a single molecule, capable of effectively breaking the symmetry during nanoparticle growth.

The gold nanorods obtained using these inducers exhibited strong chiroptical responses, with a dissymmetry factor on the order of 10⁻², while maintaining relatively small dimensions (130 x 90 nm). In this study, we demonstrate that:

– both the number and spatial distribution of cysteine groups within a single inducer molecule are crucial for inducing chiral morphology and chiroptical properties;
– the developed methodology is highly reproducible.

Our work represents a significant advancement over classical, naturally derived inducers that have dominated the field so far. It highlights key aspects of molecular design that influence chirality transfer between organic and inorganic materials. We believe this contribution will have a meaningful impact on the development of next generation chirality inducers.

More info: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/smll.202408004