英国帝国理工大学Fuchter Matthew J.研究团队报道了通过控制手性小分子的取向来控制各向异性特性。相关研究成果发表在2022年10月27日出版的《自然—化学》。

手性π-共轭分子为技术应用带来了新的功能，代表了一个令人兴奋的、迅速扩展的研究领域。它们的功能性质，如圆偏振光的吸收和发射或自旋极化电子的传输，是高度各向异性的。因此，手性分子的方向决定了手性器件的功能和效率。

该文中，研究人员提出了一种通过使用有机和无机模板层来控制小手性分子（2，2′-双氰基[6]螺烯）定向的策略。这样的模板层可以迫使2，2′-二氰基[6]螺旋烯采用面上取向，并自组装成垂直的超分子柱，其螺旋轴垂直于衬底，或者与平行的超分子列形成边上取向。通过这样的控制，研究表明低能量和高能量脊骨神经反应可以独立地“开启”或“关闭”。

该文描述的模板化方法为一系列新兴技术提供了一种简单的方法，来设计手性分子系统的定向控制和各向异性功能特性。

附：英文原文

Title: Controlling anisotropic properties by manipulating the orientation of chiral small molecules

Author: Wade, Jessica, Salerno, Francesco, Kilbride, Rachel C., Kim, Dong Kuk, Schmidt, Julia A., Smith, Joel A., LeBlanc, Luc M., Wolpert, Emma H., Adeleke, Adebayo A., Johnson, Erin R., Nelson, Jenny, Mori, Tadashi, Jelfs, Kim E., Heutz, Sandrine, Fuchter, Matthew J.

Issue&Volume: 2022-10-27

Abstract: Chiral π-conjugated molecules bring new functionality to technological applications and represent an exciting, rapidly expanding area of research. Their functional properties, such as the absorption and emission of circularly polarized light or the transport of spin-polarized electrons, are highly anisotropic. As a result, the orientation of chiral molecules critically determines the functionality and efficiency of chiral devices. Here we present a strategy to control the orientation of a small chiral molecule (2,2′-dicyano[6]helicene) by the use of organic and inorganic templating layers. Such templating layers can either force 2,2′-dicyano[6]helicene to adopt a face-on orientation and self-assemble into upright supramolecular columns oriented with their helical axis perpendicular to the substrate, or an edge-on orientation with parallel-lying supramolecular columns. Through such control, we show that low- and high-energy chiroptical responses can be independently ‘turned on’ or ‘turned off’. The templating methodologies described here provide a simple way to engineer orientational control and, by association, anisotropic functional properties of chiral molecular systems for a range of emerging technologies.

DOI: 10.1038/s41557-022-01044-6

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41557-022-01044-6