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Chiral Memory-Driven Helical Supramolecular Photodetector for Deciphering Circularly Polarized Light
Ke Gao1, Ye In Cho2, Wenkai Zhao3
1State Key Laboratory of Porous Metal Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, P. R. China.
Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
|June 3, 2026
Summary
Chiral organic molecules show promise for detecting circularly polarized light (CPL). A new method creates helical structures with high absorption dissymmetry, enabling CPL imaging and bionic vision systems.
Area of Science:
- Organic electronics
- Chiroptical materials
- Supramolecular chemistry
Background:
- Chiral π-conjugated organic small molecules offer potential for circularly polarized light (CPL) detection due to their chirality and tunable structures.
- Low absorption dissymmetry factor (gabs) in these molecules, caused by imbalanced transition dipole moments, limits their practical application.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a template-free method for fabricating helical supramolecules with enhanced absorption dissymmetry for CPL detection.
- To investigate the chiral memory effect in dinaphthocoronene tetraimide derivatives for improved CPL sensing capabilities.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of two chiral dinaphthocoronene tetraimide enantiomer pairs: (R)-PDI-(R)-NI-Ph/(S)-PDI-(S)-NI-Ph and (S)-PDI-(R)-NI-Ph/(R)-PDI-(S)-NI-Ph.
- Fabrication of thin films and annealing at 350°C to induce helical assembly via the chiral memory effect.
- Characterization of absorption dissymmetry factor (|gabs|) and demonstration of CPL imaging using large-area arrays.
Main Results:
- Annealed films of (R)-PDI-(R)-NI/(S)-PDI-(S)-NI exhibited significantly higher |gabs| (0.08) compared to the other enantiomeric set (0.01), attributed to helical supramolecular assembly.
- The chiral memory effect was confirmed as the mechanism for forming high-|gabs| helical structures.
- Successful CPL imaging was achieved using large-area arrays of the fabricated films, demonstrating their potential for optoelectronic applications.
Conclusions:
- A template-free method utilizing the chiral memory effect enables the fabrication of helical supramolecules with high absorption dissymmetry for CPL detection.
- The developed chiral organic materials offer a scalable strategy for high-performance chiral optoelectronics, including CPL imaging and bionic visual systems.
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