Chirality of Sub-nanometer Nanowires/Nanobelts

Abstract

Chirality is a widespread phenomenon in the fields of nature and chemical, endow-ing compounds with distinc-tive chemical and biological characteristics. The conven-tional synthesis of chiral na-nomaterials relies on the introduction of chiral ligands or additives, environmental effects such as solvents and mechanical forces. Sub-nanometer nanowires (SNWs) and Sub-nanometer nanobelts (SNBs) are one-dimensional nanomaterials with high ani-sotropy, nearly 100% atomic exposure ratio and some other distinctive characteris-tics. In addition of traditional synthesis methods, the intrin-sic chirality of SNWs/SNBs can also be achieved by several methods such as construction of asymmetric defects and counterion exchange. Chiral SNWs/SNBs have wide appli-cation prospects in chiral catalysis, chiral optical devic-es, chiral drug delivery, chiral liquid crystal materials, chiral sensor and so on. In this work, we briefly introduce several examples of the origination, amplification, and transfer of the chirality in SNWs/SNBs. This review aims to deepen chirality researcher under-standing of the fundamental origins of intrinsic chirality in SNWs/SNBs, and lays the foundation for expanding their potential applications.