Twisted bio-nanorods serve as a template for constructing chiroptically active nanoflowers

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Optics

Background:

• Biomacromolecule-based nanorods offer a sustainable chiral source for advanced materials.
• Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are promising building blocks due to their inherent chirality and nanoscale dimensions.
• Developing broadband chiroptically active nanoarchitectures is crucial for applications in sensing, imaging, and polarization optics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To utilize right-handedly twisted cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) nanorods as a chiral template and building block.
• To fabricate novel composite nanoflowers by combining CNCs with copper oxide (CuO).
• To investigate the chiroptical properties of the resulting CuO/CNC composite nanoflowers and their transformation into chiral CuO.

Main Methods:

• Preparation of composite nanoflowers using CNC nanorods and CuO.
• Characterization of the structural and chiroptical properties of the nanoflowers.
• Thermal treatment (calcination) of the composite nanoflowers to form chiral CuO architectures.

Main Results:

• Successfully synthesized CuO/CNC composite nanoflowers exhibiting broadband chiroptical activity.
• Demonstrated the transformation of CuO/CNC nanoflowers into chiral CuO with flower-like structures upon calcination.
• Confirmed the chiral nature of the resulting CuO nanoarchitectures.

Conclusions:

• Cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) nanorods can effectively serve as a chiral source for creating broadband chiroptically active nanoarchitectures.
• The developed method provides a pathway for fabricating novel chiral metal oxide nanostructures.
• This approach is expected to enable the creation of diverse chiral nanoarchitectures derived from CNCs and various metal oxides.