Toward Unraveling Solvent-Induced Chirality at the Solid–Liquid Interface
Chiral induction by the solvent phase offers a promising route to achieve homochirality in self-assembled molecular networks. In this work, we examine solvent-driven chiral induction at the solid-liquid interface, where an enantiopure solvent biases the handedness of two-dimensional (2D) networks formed by achiral molecules physisorbed on the basal plane of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite. Using scanning tunneling microscopy at the liquid-solid interface, we visualize the 2D organization of the achiral monomer 10,12-pentacosadiynoic acid in chiral liquid environments. We compare the induction efficiencies of several enantiopure citronellyl-derived solvents that differ in their capacities for specific solute-solvent interactions. Complementary molecular dynamics simulations provide molecular-level insight into the possible mechanisms of solvent-mediated chiral induction.
Authors
- Andrea Minoia (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7072-9823)
- Oleksandr Ivasenko (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9182-3974)
- Lifeng Chi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3835-2776)
- Sven Bernaerts (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9739-4952)
- Jie Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2493-5209)
- Alexandre Mamontov
- Yuan Fang
- Yves H. Geerts (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2660-5767)
- Steven De Feyter (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0909-9292)
- C. Elizabeth Killalea
- Roberto Lazzaroni (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6334-4068)
- Kunal S. Mali (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9938-6446)
Institutions
- University of Mons (BE)
- Université Libre de Bruxelles (BE)
- Soochow University (CN)
- International Solvay Institutes (BE)
- KU Leuven (BE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters
- Published
- 2026-05-11
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpclett.6c00753
- Primary Topic
- Surface Chemistry and Catalysis
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Suzhou Key Laboratory of Functional Nano and Soft Materials
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Fonds De La Recherche Scientifique - FNRS
- Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek
- Suzhou Municipal Science and Technology Bureau
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology
- Higher Education Discipline Innovation Project