Chiral inorganic nanostructures with pronounced chiroptical activity are increasingly utilized across various scientific fields, yet understanding their direct impact on biological systems remains a complex challenge. In this study, we explore the effects of structural chirality on tumor photothermal therapy (PTT) using intrinsically chiral-shaped gold nanoparticles, highlighting their nanoscale geometric effects in vitro and in vivo. We demonstrate that the geometric chirality of these nanoparticles facilitates selective cellular uptake, with left-handed nanoparticles exhibiting a 1.5-fold higher uptake than their right-handed counterparts, indicating a preferential interaction with tumor cells. Furthermore, exposure to circularly polarized light (CPL) during PTT significantly amplifies the therapeutic effects. This enhancement is particularly pronounced when the helicity of CPL matches the handedness of nanoparticles, with left-handed nanoparticles under left-handed CPL achieving a cell kill rate three-fold higher than those under right-handed CPL. Such alignment also results in a significant reduction in axillary tumor volume in nude mice within two weeks. This work not only highlights the potential of stable, nanoscale chirality as highly efficient PTT agents but also provides crucial insights into chiral-dependent phenomenon in biosystems, paving the way for advanced biomedical applications.

Chiral inorganic materials with unique asymmetries hold promising potential in several fields, including catalytic processes. However, imparting structural chirality to inorganic materials presents substantial challenges that hinders their exploration in many application. In this study, we report a simple two-step method for synthesizing structurally chiral nickel oxides (NiO) nanostructures and demonstrate that the chiral-induced spin-selective mechanism enhances the catalytic performance during electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Compared to their achiral NiO counterparts, the chiral NiO nanostructures not only improve the reaction kinetics (a 60 mV reduction in overpotential), but also effectively modulate the reaction pathway to inhibit the byproduct hydrogen peroxide generation. Under neutral conditions, this modulation results in a 4.5-fold reduction in hydrogen peroxide production. This work enriches the variety of chiral inorganic nanomaterials and paves the way for the development and application of chiral inorganic nanomaterials in spin-dependent processes.

The assembly of multiple colloidal building blocks into supraparticles provides a promising strategy for designing and fabricating functional nanomaterials. Emulsion droplets possess homogeneous colloidal microspaces that facilitate a tunable assembly process, enabling versatile and controllable supraparticles with tailored composition, size, shape and properties. In this review, we introduce the development and representative examples of nanocrystal supraparticles synthesized via the emulsion route. Key influencing factors, including size and concentration ratio effect, ligand effect, temperature effect, and surfactant effect, have been discussed in detail. Besides, the novel collective properties arising from the ordered stacking of multi-component nanocrystal supraparticles are highlighted, as well as the corresponding impressive applications. In addition, we propose the current challenges and future prospects in this exciting field. We hope this review inspires further research into multi-component nanocrystal supraparticles with diverse and innovative functionalities.

Enriching the library of chiral plasmonic structures is of significant importance in advancing their applicability across diverse domains such as biosensing, nanophotonics, and catalysis. Here, employing triangle nanoplates as growth seeds, we synthesized a novel class of chiral-shaped plasmonic nanostructures through a wet chemical strategy with dipeptide as chiral inducers, including chiral tri-blade boomerangs, concave rhombic dodecahedrons, and nanoflowers. The structural diversity in chiral plasmonic nanostructures was elucidated through their continuous morphological evolution from two-dimensional to three-dimensional architectures. The fine-tuning of chiroptical properties was achieved by precisely manipulating crucial synthetic parameters such as the amount of chiral molecules, seeds, and gold precursor that significantly influenced chiral structure formation. The findings provide a promising avenue for enriching chiral materials with highly sophisticated structures, facilitating a fundamental understanding of the relationship between structural nuances and chiroptical properties.

Chirality is an intriguing and fundamental property of natural matter, which is especially crucial in supporting the processes of living systems. The selective interactions between natural chiral compounds are widespread at all levels in living entities and play a vital role in biochemical reactions. The cutting-edge advancements in synthetic chiral inorganic nanostructures have led to significant progress in their applications within biological systems. These developments have unraveled chirality-dependent interactions at the nanoscale and molecular scale, providing a better understanding of intricate process of chiral selection in biological systems and demonstrating the potential of chiral inorganic nanostructures for life science applications. Herein, we summarize recent progress in understanding the chirality origin of inorganic chiral nanoparticles and the development of wet-chemical synthesis. We also discuss the captivating interaction between chiral inorganic nanostructures and biological entities at various scales. Finally, we discuss the challenges and potential of functional chiral nanomaterials for future biomedical and bioengineering applications, offering design ideas and a forecast for their future impact.