Dissymmetry enhancement in enantioselective synthesis of helical polydiacetylene by application of superchiral light

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 9; no. 1; pp. 5117 - 8
• Main Authors: He, Chenlu, Yang, Guang, Kuai, Yan, Shan, Sizhen, Yang, Lin, Hu, Jingang, Zhang, Douguo, Zhang, Qijin, Zou, Gang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Nature Publishing Group 30.11.2018; Nature Publishing Group UK; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: Bias; Circular polarization; Enantiomers; Handedness; Luminous intensity; Photochemical reactions; Photochemicals; Photopolymerization; Polarized light; Polydiacetylenes; Polymerization; Visual discrimination
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-07533-y

Superchiral light, generated by the interference of two counter-propagating circularly polarized light (CPL) with same frequency, opposite handedness and different intensity, exhibits enhanced dissymmetry in its interaction with chiral molecules, and has the potential for ultrasensitive detection and characterization of chiral molecules. It is anticipated that the enhanced optical dissymmetry in superchiral light (SCL) field may be utilized to promote asymmetric photochemical reactions efficiency. Herein we reported SCL impart greater chiral bias to trigger asymmetric photo-polymerization reaction from initially achiral diacetylene (DA) monomer, and the enhanced optical dissymmetry for whole polydiacetylene (PDA) films could be achieved. An explanation based on the chiral transfer and amplification of chiral bias from SCL during the polymerization process has been proposed. Moreover, thus formed chiral PDA films polymerized by SCL exhibited enhanced enantioselective recognition ability, and can serve as a direct visual probe for the discrimination of some specific enantiomers.