Chiral Nanoparticle Chains on Inorganic Nanotube Templates

Fabrication of chiralassemblies of plasmonic nanoparticles isa highly attractive and challenging task, with promising applicationsin light emission, detection, and sensing. So far, primarily organicchiral templates have been used for chirality inscription. Despiterecent progress in using chiral ionic liquids in synthesis, the useof organic templates significantly limits the variety of nanoparticlepreparation techniques. Here, we demonstrate the utilization of seeminglyachiral inorganic nanotubes as templates for the chiral assembly ofnanoparticles. We show that both metallic and dielectric nanoparticlescan be attached to scroll-like chiral edges propagating on the surfacesof WS2 nanotubes. Such assembly can be performed at temperaturesas high as 550 & DEG;C. This large temperature range significantlywidens the portfolio of nanoparticle fabrication techniques, allowingus to demonstrate a variety of chiral nanoparticle assemblies, rangingfrom metals (Au, Ga), semiconductors (Ge), and compound semiconductors(GaAs) to oxides (WO3).

Automated summary

The use of seemingly achiral inorganic nanotubes as templates allows for the chiral assembly of metallic and dielectric nanoparticles, expanding the range of nanoparticle fabrication techniques.