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Chirality of Single‐Handed Twisted Titania Tubular Nanoribbons Prepared Through Sol‐gel Transcription
Author(s) -
Wang Sibing,
Zhang Chuanyong,
Li Yi,
Li Baozong,
Yang Yonggang
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
chirality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.43
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1520-636X
pISSN - 0899-0042
DOI - 10.1002/chir.22464
Subject(s) - chemistry , chirality (physics) , nanotechnology , crystallography , physics , quantum mechanics , nambu–jona lasinio model , chiral symmetry breaking , quark , materials science
Abstract Single‐handed twisted titania tubular nanoribbons were prepared through sol‐gel transcription using a pair of enantiomers. Handedness was controlled by that of the template. The obtained samples were characterized using field‐emission electron microscopy , transmission electron microscopy , diffuse reflectance circular dichroism (DRCD), and X‐ray diffraction. The DRCD spectra indicated that the titania nanotubes exhibit optical activity. Although the tubular structure was destroyed after being calcined at 700 °C for 2.0 h, DRCD signals were still identified. However, the DRCD signals disappeared after being calcined at 1000 °C for 2.0 h. The optical activity of titania was proposed to be due to chiral defects. Previous results showed that straight titania tubes could be used as asymmetric autocatalysts, indicating that titania exhibit chirality at the angstrom level. Herein, it was found that they also exhibit DRCD signals, indicating that there are no obvious relationships between morphology at the nano level and chirality at the angstrom level. The nanotube chirality should originate from the chiral defects on the nanotube inner surface. The Fourier transform infrared spectra indicated that the chirality of the titania was transferred from the gelators through the hydrogen bonding between N‐H and Ti‐OH. Chirality 27:543–550, 2015 . © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.