Bringing chiral functionality to in vivo applications of nanomaterials

Chirality is a universal property of an endless number of objects in the universe. Nanotechnology is rapidly expanding to find ways to introduce chirality to artificial nanostructures. In a recent publication in Light: Science and Applications, Das et al. have successfully used capping with chiral ligand molecules to obtain chiral carbon dots. The authors provide a theoretical model to describe the origin of chirality in carbon dots as arising due to exciton coupling in a pair of chiral chromophores. Due to non-toxic chemical composition and sizes as small as 2-5 nm, the chiral carbon dots have the potential to outperform other chiral nanostructures in numerous biomedical applications. However, similarly to chiral drugs, their chiral toxicity must be well understood before the carbon dots are brought to living systems.

Automated summary

Chirality is a common property of many objects in the universe, and nanotechnology offers a way to introduce chirality to artificial nanostructures. In a recent study, researchers successfully obtained chiral carbon dots by capping them with chiral ligand molecules. They also provided a theoretical model to explain the origin of chirality in carbon dots. These chiral carbon dots, with their non-toxic composition and small size, hold great potential for various biomedical applications, but their chiral toxicity needs to be further explored.