Atomic layer deposition of enantioselective thin film of alumina on chiral self-assembled-monolayer

In this paper, we describe the synthesis of new chiral nanosized surfaces based on chiral self-assembled monolayers coated with metal oxide (Al₂O₃) nanolayers. In this new type of nanosized chiral surface, the Al₂O₃ nanolayers enable the protection of the chiral self-assembled monolayers while preserving their enantioselective nature. The chiral nature of the SAMs/Al₂O₃ films was characterized by a variety of techniques, such as, quartz crystal microbalance, circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy and chiral crystallization. The proposed methodology for the preparation of nanoscale chiral surfaces described in this article could open up opportunities in other fields of chemistry, such as chiral catalysis.