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Author Spotlight: Unveiling the Potential of VSFG Microscopy in Studying Mesoscopically Heterogeneous Self-Assembled Structures
Published on: December 1, 2023
Transfer of chiral information from a chiral solvent to a two-dimensional network
Iris Destoop1, Andrea Minoia, Oleksandr Ivasenko
1Division of Molecular Imaging and Photonics, Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven-University of Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200F, B 3001, Leuven, Belgium. steven.defeyter@kuleuven.be.
Abstract:
Chiral induction in self-assembled monolayers has garnered considerable attention in the recent past, not only due to its importance in chiral resolution and enantioselective heterogeneous catalysis but also because of its relevance to the origin of homochirality in life. Here, we demonstrate the emergence of homochirality in a supramolecular low-density network formed by achiral molecules at the interface of a chiral solvent and an atomically-flat achiral substrate. We focus on the impact of structure and functionality of the adsorbate and the chiral solvent on the chiral induction efficiency in self-assembled physisorbed monolayers, as revealed by scanning tunneling microscopy. Different induction mechanisms are proposed and evaluated, with the assistance of advanced molecular modeling simulations.
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