Stirring competes with chemical induction in chiral selection of Langmuir monolayer domains

Abstract

Chirality, the absence of mirror symmetry, can be equally invoked in relation to physical forces and chemical induction processes, yet a competition between these two types of influences is rarely reported. Here, we employ Langmuir monolayers of azobenzene surfactants as a prototypical self-assembled two-dimensional system in which chiral selection is controlled by the combined independent action of a chiral dopant and vortical stirring. The two effects can be arbitrarily coupled, either constructively or destructively, leading to a situation of perfect compensation. The induced enantiomorphic excess is measured in terms of the statistical imbalance of an ensemble of sub-millimeter monolayer domains, where achiral molecules self-assemble with a well-defined orientational chirality, which is unambiguously resolved using Brewster angle microscopy.