Chirality-promoted photocatalysis: a strategic framework for advancing future dye degradation technologies

Photocatalysis has emerged as a promising approach for the degradation of dyes. However, the role of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in this process has not been thoroughly explored, despite being a fundamental process in dye degradation. In this work, we explore the influence of chirality-induced spin-polarization in the photocatalyst and its subsequent impact on the kinetics of photocatalytic dye degradation. We use here cysteine-directed chiral gold nanoparticles as spin-polarized photocatalysts and demonstrate the enhancement of ORR activity, which indirectly accelerates the kinetics of degradation of both cationic Rhodamine B and anionic Methyl Orange dye. Comparative studies with achiral gold nanoparticles highlight the crucial role of spin polarization in modulating photocatalytic efficiency. This study establishes a generic strategy for optimising dye degradation irrespective of their structure by combining spin effects with photocatalysis, offering new insights into the design of advanced materials for environmental restoration.