Synthesis of chorogi-like Au nanoparticles with chiral plasmonic response and enantioselective electrocatalytic activity

Shape control of Au nanoparticles is crucial for their optical and catalytic applications. Herein, we present a chiral cysteine-directed seeded-growth approach to synthesize chorogi-like Au nanoparticles. The formation of such unique structure is due to the selective adsorption of chiral cysteine molecules on high-Miller-index surfaces of Au nanoparticles during growth, which also result in the chirality transfer from molecule to nanoparticle. The obtained Au nanoparticles exhibit distinct chiral plasmonic response and excellent enantioselective electro-catalytic activity for tryptophan oxidation. Our work adds a new member to Au nanoparticle library and will offer new opportunities for broadening optical and catalytic applications of Au nanoparticles.