Engineering Intrinsic Chirality in Pd@AuPd Alloy Nanoparticles: Decoupling Surface Catalytic Activity from Enantioselectivity for Robust Multiplexed Biosensing
ABSTRACT Chirality confers unique functionalities to nanomaterials, enabling advances in molecular recognition and asymmetric catalysis. However, the development of electrochemical chiral sensors that simultaneously achieve high catalytic activity, robust enantioselectivity, and stability in complex biological media remains a grand challenge. Most existing systems rely on surface‐adsorbed chiral ligands, which are prone to desorption and instability. In this study, we present a structural engineering strategy to decouple surface electrocatalytic activity from enantiomeric recognition using intrinsically chiral Pd@AuPd alloy nanoparticles. By precisely modulating the surface Pd content, we optimized the electronic structure for high‐sensitivity ascorbic acid (AA) detection (LOD = 300 nM). Critically, ligand‐exchange experiments with achiral 11‐mercaptoundecanesulfonate (MUS) unambiguously confirmed that the enantioselectivity originates from the intrinsic helical distortion of the metal core rather than surface ligands. This “core‐determined chirality, surface‐determined activity” mechanism endows the sensor with exceptional stability and resistance to interference. Furthermore, the platform enables the ultrasensitive, simultaneous quantification of AA, dopamine (DA), and uric acid (UA) in serum. This work establishes a new paradigm for designing intrinsically chiral metallo‐biosensors, overcoming the limitations of ligand‐dependent systems.
Authors
- Hualing Yang
- Hajra Hameed (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-7785-4260)
- Xudong Wen
- Muhammad Waqas
- Haijuan Luo
- Huayan Yang
- Chao Yang
Institutions
- Hunan University of Science and Technology (CN)
- Nantong University (CN)
- Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter (CN)
- Shenzhen University Health Science Center (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Advanced Functional Materials
- Published
- 2026-02-21
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.74607
- Primary Topic
- Surface Chemistry and Catalysis
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Shenzhen University
- Science, Technology and Innovation Commission of Shenzhen Municipality