Chiroptical activity of single-handed helical silica nanotubes doped with CdS nanoparticles

Abstract

Single-handed helical silica nanotubes doped with CdS nanoparticles are prepared through a supramolecular templating approach using a pair of chiral low-molecular-weight gelators (LMWGs). The handedness of the nanotubes is controlled by the self-assemblies of the LMWGs. The left- and right-handed helical nanotubes show opposite optical activities. Broad signals are observed at 250–510nm in the diffuse reflectance circular dichroism spectra. We propose that the optical activity originates from the dipole–dipole interactions of the CdS nanoparticles. The results also indicate that the silica should be chiral at the molecular level. These CdS-doped silica nanotubes have potential application as chirality sensors.