In Situ Photoreduced Silver Nanoparticles on Cysteine: An Insight into the Origin of Chirality

Abstract

A delicate system, that is, in situ photoreduced silver metal nanoparticles (NPs) formed from a combination of Ag(+) complexes with L- or D-cysteine, enables the introduction of chirality. This chirality is essentially programmed by a synergetic interplay between the CO(2)(-) and NH(3)(+) groups on cysteine, rather than the formation of a chiral metal core (see figure).