Fabrication of a chiral luminescent hydrogel from gold nanoclusters via molecular recognition

A novel supramolecular chiral hydrogel with enhanced emission was obtained by the co-assembly of achiral thiobarbituric acid-modified gold nanoclusters (TBA-AuNCs) with chiral histidine molecules. Chirality transfer from histidine to the supramolecular hydrogels was achieved through the pi-pi stacking and intermolecular H-bonding based on molecular recognition. This work gives a creative strategy for the building of chiral nanocluster-based materials.

Automated summary

A novel supramolecular chiral hydrogel with enhanced emission was successfully obtained through the co-assembly of achiral thiobarbituric acid-modified gold nanoclusters with chiral histidine molecules. Chirality transfer in the supramolecular hydrogels was achieved through pi-pi stacking and intermolecular H-bonding based on molecular recognition, providing a creative strategy for building chiral nanocluster-based materials.