Silver Films with Hierarchical Chirality

Abstract

AbstractPhysical fabrication of chiral metallic films usually results in singular or large‐sized chirality, restricting the optical asymmetric responses to long electromagnetic wavelengths. The chiral molecule‐induced formation of silver films prepared chemically on a copper substrate through a redox reaction is presented. Three levels of chirality were identified: primary twisted nanoflakes with atomic crystal lattices, secondary helical stacking of these nanoflakes to form nanoplates, and tertiary micrometer‐sized circinates consisting of chiral arranged nanoplates. The chiral Ag films exhibited multiple plasmonic absorption‐ and scattering‐based optical activities at UV/Vis wavelengths based on their hierarchical chirality. The Ag films showed chiral selectivity for amino acids in catalytic electrochemical reactions, which originated from their primary atomic crystal lattices.