Abstract
Chirality, the property of an object that cannot be superimposed on its mirror image, occurs across many length scales and plays an important role in different fields. Recently, increasing interest has focused on the synthesis of chiral plasmonic gold nanoparticles, combining chemical stability with strong optical responses. These particles interact differently with left- and right-handed circularly polarized light (CPL), making them promising for a broad variety of applications. Chirality arises from a complex interplay between synthetic parameters, and external stimuli such as light, but most studies focus on final structures rather than growth pathways. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron tomography (ET) enable 3D characterization of static chiral nanostructures but do not yield insight into the dynamics of chirality formation. Liquid TEM allows real-time observation of nanoparticle growth under realistic conditions, but is typically restricted to 2D projections and affected by beam-induced artifacts. A newly installed TEM at EMAT combines liquid-phase imaging with controlled optical excitation and offers a unique opportunity to investigate chemically and light-driven growth pathways. By integrating dynamic ET, CPL illumination, and quantitative 3D shape analysis, I will link intermediate nanoparticle morphologies to chiroptical measurements and electromagnetic simulations, enabling growth–structure–function relationships at the single-particle level.
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