Nanophotonic Approaches for Chirality Sensing

Chiral nanophotonic materials are promising candidates for biosensing applications because they focus light into nanometer dimensions, increasing their sensitivity to the molecular signatures of their surroundings. Recent advances in nanomaterial- enhanced chirality sensing provide detection limits as low as attomolar concentrations (10(-18) M) for biomolecules and are relevant to the pharmaceutical industry, forensic drug testing, and medical applications that require high sensitivity. Here, we review the development of chiral nanomaterials and their application for detecting biomolecules, supramolecular structures, and other environmental stimuli. We discuss superchiral near-field generation in both dielectric and plasmonic metamaterials that are composed of chiral or achiral nanostructure arrays. These materials are also applicable for enhancing chiroptical signals from biomolecules. We review the plasmon-coupled circular dichroism mechanism observed for plasmonic nanoparticles and discuss how hotspot-enhanced plasmon-coupled circular dichroism applies to biosensing. We then review single-particle spectroscopic methods for achieving the ultimate goal of single-molecule chirality sensing. Finally, we discuss future outlooks of nanophotonic chiral systems.

Automated summary

Chiral nanophotonic materials are promising for biosensing applications due to their ability to focus light into nanometer dimensions, increasing sensitivity. Recent advances in nanomaterial-enhanced chirality sensing have achieved detection limits as low as attomolar concentrations, showing potential for pharmaceutical, forensic, and medical applications requiring high sensitivity. The review covers the development and application of chiral nanomaterials for detecting biomolecules, supramolecular structures, and environmental stimuli, as well as discussing future prospects for nanophotonic chiral systems.