Polarization-sensitive optoionic membranes from chiral plasmonic nanoparticles

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Cai, Jiarong ; Zhang, Wei ; Xu, Liguang ; Hao, Changlong ; Ma, Wei ; Sun, Maozhong ; Wu, Xiaoling ; Qin, Xian ; Colombari, Felippe Mariano ; de Moura, Andre Farias ; Xu, Jiahui ; Silva, Mariana Cristina ; Carneiro-Neto, Evaldo Batista ; Gomes, Weverson Rodrigues ; Vallee, Renaud A. L. ; Pereira, Ernesto Chaves ; Liu, Xiaogang ; Xu, Chuanlai ; Klajn, Rafal ; Kotov, Nicholas A. ; Kuang, Hua

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY; v. 17, n. 4, p. 10-pg., 2022-03-14.

Abstract

Chiral gold nanoparticles coated with enantiomerically pure phenylalanine were assembled into nanoporous membranes, whose ionic conductivity depends on the handedness of the incident circularly polarized light. Optoelectronic effects differentiating absorption of right and left circularly polarized photons in thin films of chiral materials are typically prohibitively small for their direct photocurrent observation. Chiral metasurfaces increase the electronic sensitivity to circular polarization, but their out-of-plane architecture entails manufacturing and performance trade-offs. Here, we show that nanoporous thin films of chiral nanoparticles enable high sensitivity to circular polarization due to light-induced polarization-dependent ion accumulation at nanoparticle interfaces. Self-assembled multilayers of gold nanoparticles modified with l-phenylalanine generate a photocurrent under right-handed circularly polarized light as high as 2.41 times higher than under left-handed circularly polarized light. The strong plasmonic coupling between the multiple nanoparticles producing planar chiroplasmonic modes facilitates the ejection of electrons, whose entrapment at the membrane-electrolyte interface is promoted by a thick layer of enantiopure phenylalanine. Demonstrated detection of light ellipticity with equal sensitivity at all incident angles mimics phenomenological aspects of polarization vision in marine animals. The simplicity of self-assembly and sensitivity of polarization detection found in optoionic membranes opens the door to a family of miniaturized fluidic devices for chiral photonics. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 14/50249-8 - Green chemistry: sustainable synthetic methods employing benign solvents, safer reagents, and bio-renewable feedstock
• Grantee: Arlene Gonçalves Corrêa
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Research Centers in Engineering Program
• FAPESP's process: 15/12851-0 - Graphene modified with RuO2 and/or TiO2: synthesis, characterization and aplication to electrochemical reactions
• Grantee: Mariana Cristina Silva
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• FAPESP's process: 17/11986-5 - Generation and storage of New Energy: bringing technological development for the country
• Grantee: Ana Flávia Nogueira
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Research Centers in Engineering Program
• FAPESP's process: 12/15147-4 - Computational study of thermodynamic association of self­-assembled systems
• Grantee: André Farias de Moura
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 13/07296-2 - CDMF - Center for the Development of Functional Materials
• Grantee: Elson Longo da Silva
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Research, Innovation and Dissemination Centers - RIDC