Optical Activity from Anisotropic-Nanocluster-Assembled Supercrystals in Achiral Crystallographic Point Groups

Accomplishing optical activity in achiral materials has long been a challenge. Achiral nanomaterials that crystallize in achiral point groups are generally optically inactive. Herein we report the surprising observation of optical activity in several achiral point groups for supercrystals assembled...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the American Chemical Society 2022-03, Vol.144 (11), p.4845-4852
Main Authors: Li, Hao, Song, Fei, Zhu, Desheng, Song, Yongbo, Zhou, Chuanjun, Ke, Feng, Lu, Liang, Kang, Xi, Zhu, Manzhou
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anisotropy
Crystallography
Molecular Structure
Nanostructures
Optical Rotation
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Summary:Accomplishing optical activity in achiral materials has long been a challenge. Achiral nanomaterials that crystallize in achiral point groups are generally optically inactive. Herein we report the surprising observation of optical activity in several achiral point groups for supercrystals assembled from anisotropic metal nanoclusters with atomic precision. By analyzing multiple achiral nanoclusters with different molecular structures and symmetry space groups, we have identified that the molecular anisotropy of nanocluster entities and their asymmetric arrangement in point groups of supercrystals are the two key factors for the realization of optical activity in such supercrystals. We have further exploited the polarization effect of the nanocluster supercrystals as a polarization switch that can alter the polarized state of the linearly polarized light. Our findings have broadened the fundamental principles for producing nanomaterial-based optical activity and devices with polarization effects.
ISSN:0002-7863
1520-5126
DOI:10.1021/jacs.1c12352