The transformation of chiral signals into macroscopic properties of materials using chirality-responsive polymers

Abstract

The ability to transform the chiral signals of molecules into the macroscopic properties of a material will offer significant advantages in the development of chiral functional devices and chirality-related applications. Chirality-responsive polymers provide an excellent platform to realize this objective, which often involves two basic strategies. The first strategy is to utilize various external stimuli to directly mediate the chiral conformations of a polymer, through which the energy input is transformed into a macroscopic change in the properties of a material. The second strategy is to utilize the enantioselective interaction between polymers and guest chiral molecules to trigger a stepwise conformational change in smart polymers, which then results in transformation of the macroscopic properties. This review summarizes recent progress in generating chirality-responsive polymers based on these strategies and discusses advances in their applications as chiral sensors, liquid crystals, optical and electrical devices, nanomachines and so on. We then introduce the emerging field of chiral bio-interface materials, in which chiral signals are transformed into changes in the macroscopic behavior of cells and biomacromolecules based on the stereo-specific interactions between biological systems and artificial materials.