The left or right-handedness of things -- chirality to the scientist -- surrounds us on Earth. At the sub-microscopic scale, it can have dramatic triumphal or tragic consequences in and around us. Its creation and effects are vital for certain chemical processes, such as catalysis, and physical phenomena, such as switching in displays. Understanding and influencing these processes at the atomic and molecular level -- the nanometer scale -- is essential for their development.
This is the only standard reference on this exciting new field and combines the physical, chemical and material science perspectives in a synergic way. It traces the development of the preparative methods employed to create nanostructures, in addition to the experimental techniques used to characterize them, as well as some of the surprising physical effects. The chapters cover every category of material, from organic to coordination compounds, metals and composites, in zero, one, two and three dimensions.
From the contents:
* An introduction to chirality at the nanoscale
* Optically active supramolecules
* Chiral nanoparticles
* Gels as a medium for chiral nanofibers
* Expression of chirality in polymers
* Nanoscale Exploration of molecular and supramolecular chirality at metal surfaces under ultrahigh-vacuum conditions
* Expression of chirality in physisorbed monolayers observed by STM
* Structure and function of chiral architectures of amphiphilic molecules at the air/water interface
* Nanoscale stereochemistry in liquid crystals
* The nanoscale aspects of chirality in crystal growth: Structure and heterogeneous equilibria
* Switching at the Nanoscale: Chiroptical molecular switches and motors
* Chiral nanoporous materials
* New synergies for chiral nanosystems
A spectacular and comprehensive reference for materials scientists, solid state chemists, physical chemists and spectroscopists.
David Amabilino is a tenured scientist at the Materials Science Institute (ICMAB, CISC) near Barcelona, where he is presently the vice-director. He worked as a postdoc on self-assembly of interlocked molecules in Fraser Stoddart's group (then in Birmingham, Engalnd), on porphyrin-containing assemblies in Jean-Pierre Sauvage's group (ULP, Strasbourg) and chiral polymers in Jaume Veciana's group (ICMAB, CSIC) after receiving both BSc (hons.) and PhD from Royal Holloway and Bedford New College (University of London). His current interests include the influence of supramolecular and stereochemical effects on molecular materials, and especially the expression of chirality at the nanoscale and the effects it has on the hierarchical passage of handedness. In research related to this, he is coordinating two projects founded by the European commission.
