The chain of chirality transfer in tellurium nanocrystals

Despite persistent and extensive observations of crystals with chiral shapes, the mechanisms underlying their formation are not well understood. Although past studies suggest that chiral shapes can form because of crystallization in the presence of chiral additives, or because of an intrinsic tendency that stems from the crystal structure, there are many cases in which these explanations are not suitable or have not been tested. Here, an investigation of model tellurium nanocrystals provides insights into the chain of chirality transfer between crystal structure and shape. We show that this transfer is mediated by screw dislocations, and shape chirality is not an outcome of the chiral crystal structure or ligands.

Automated summary

Despite previous studies suggesting that chiral shapes are formed due to crystallization in the presence of chiral additives or intrinsic tendencies from crystal structure, research on model tellurium nanocrystals shows that shape chirality is actually mediated by screw dislocations rather than chiral crystal structure or ligands.