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Chiral Boron-Formazanates as a Multifunctional NIR Chiroptical Platform: Modular Synthesis, Photothermal Conversion,
Shali Huang1, Shuhe Mo1, Zekang Ma2
1Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry & Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English)
|November 3, 2025
Summary
Researchers developed novel chiral boron-formazanates, the first optically pure formazanates, exhibiting near-infrared (NIR) optical activity. These materials show promise for advanced photonic and optoelectronic applications, including bioimaging and sensing.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Organic Chemistry
- Photonics
Background:
- Chiral organic materials with near-infrared (NIR) optical activity are crucial for advanced photonic and optoelectronic applications but are scarce.
- Developing new chiral materials with tunable NIR properties is a significant challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and characterize novel chiral boron-formazanates with NIR optical activity.
- To explore their chiroptical properties, including circular dichroism (CD) and circularly polarized luminescence (CPL).
- To investigate their potential applications in photothermal catalysis, bioimaging, and sensing.
Main Methods:
- Modular synthesis of enantiopure mono- and bis-formazanates without chiral resolution.
- Characterization of optical and chiroptical properties, including NIR CD, NIR-II fluorescence, aggregation-induced emission (AIE), and CPL.
- Evaluation of photothermal conversion efficiency and catalytic activity.
- Theoretical calculations (TD-DFT) to elucidate mechanistic aspects.
Main Results:
- First reported optically pure formazanates with high enantiopurity (ee > 95%).
- Exhibited broadband NIR CD, NIR-II fluorescence, AIE, and CPL activity beyond 800 nm.
- Demonstrated reversible acid-base chiroptical switching.
- Mono-formazanates showed efficient light-to-heat conversion and photothermal catalysis.
- Bis-formazanates displayed amplified chiroptical responses due to exciton-like coupling.
Conclusions:
- Chiral boron-formazanates represent a versatile platform for next-generation NIR-active chiroptical materials.
- These materials offer potential for applications in bioimaging, sensing, photothermal therapy, and responsive chiroptical devices.
- The study provides mechanistic insights into their chiroptical behavior and potential for tunable properties.
Keywords:
ChiralityChiroptical switchCircular dichroismCircularly polarized luminescenceNIR fluorescencePhotothermal effectMore Related Videos
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