Tuning the Chiral Morphology of Gold Nanoparticles with Oligomeric Gold-Glutathione Complexes

Chiral gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) have attracted considerable attention in the fields of asymmetric catalysis, optical materials, and biosensing, owing to their chiroptical plasmonic properties. The chiroptical plasmonic property of Au NPs is determined by their chiral morphologies. However, synthetic methods capable of tuning the chiral morphologies are still rare. Herein, we report a seed-mediated method for regulating the chiral morphology of Au nano-octopods by adjusting the degree of oligomerization of glutathione (GSH). The small and relatively higher amount of GSH oligomers directed evolution in propeller-like chiral NPs and flower-like chiral NPs, respectively. Moreover, the GSH oligomers complexed with Au in advance can improve the quality of chiral NPs. This study provides guidelines for the rational design of chiral plasmonic NPs with diverse morphologies.

Automated summary

A method for regulating the chiral morphology of gold nano-octopods by adjusting the degree of oligomerization of glutathione was reported. Different amounts of GSH oligomers directed the evolution of propeller-like and flower-like chiral gold nanoparticles. Complexes of GSH oligomers with Au in advance can improve the quality of chiral nanoparticles.