A wafer-scale ultrasensitive programmable chiroptical sensor

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Xie, Haoyu, Fan, Jichao, Bhuiyan, Zarif Ahmad Razin, Raza, Saqlain, Mohammadi, Mohammad, Guo, Cheng, Wang, Yunshan, Liu, Jun, Gao, Weilu
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Xie, Haoyu
Fan, Jichao
Bhuiyan, Zarif Ahmad Razin
Raza, Saqlain
Mohammadi, Mohammad
Guo, Cheng
Wang, Yunshan
Liu, Jun
Gao, Weilu
author_facet Xie, Haoyu
Fan, Jichao
Bhuiyan, Zarif Ahmad Razin
Raza, Saqlain
Mohammadi, Mohammad
Guo, Cheng
Wang, Yunshan
Liu, Jun
Gao, Weilu
contents Chiroptical enantioselective sensing is gaining traction across various applications. However, intrinsic molecular chiroptical responses are weak, and existing amplification approaches add synthesis, manufacturing, or operational complexity that limits sensitivity, scalability, and dynamic control. Here, we present a fundamentally new sensing paradigm merging adsorption-driven chirality induction with wafer-scale optical transduction in a programmable heterostructure containing twisted aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and phase change materials (PCMs). Chiral molecules adsorb onto CNTs to form chiroptically active composites that are macroscopically assembled by alignment and rotational stacking, yielding large ultraviolet circular dichroism (CD). We resolve molecule concentration and handedness in a single device without lithography, hotspot delivery, or differential protocols, achieving sub-$μ$M sensitivity for CD-silent glucose and chiral amino acids enabled by $>10^5\,\mathrm{M^{-1}}$ adsorption constants. We validate adsorption using molecular dynamics simulations, reproduce experimental results using chiral transfer matrix simulations, and realize sensor programmability by tuning the PCM layer. This platform enables cost-effective in-situ enantiomer monitoring in aqueous environments.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_11774
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A wafer-scale ultrasensitive programmable chiroptical sensor
Xie, Haoyu
Fan, Jichao
Bhuiyan, Zarif Ahmad Razin
Raza, Saqlain
Mohammadi, Mohammad
Guo, Cheng
Wang, Yunshan
Liu, Jun
Gao, Weilu
Optics
Chiroptical enantioselective sensing is gaining traction across various applications. However, intrinsic molecular chiroptical responses are weak, and existing amplification approaches add synthesis, manufacturing, or operational complexity that limits sensitivity, scalability, and dynamic control. Here, we present a fundamentally new sensing paradigm merging adsorption-driven chirality induction with wafer-scale optical transduction in a programmable heterostructure containing twisted aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and phase change materials (PCMs). Chiral molecules adsorb onto CNTs to form chiroptically active composites that are macroscopically assembled by alignment and rotational stacking, yielding large ultraviolet circular dichroism (CD). We resolve molecule concentration and handedness in a single device without lithography, hotspot delivery, or differential protocols, achieving sub-$μ$M sensitivity for CD-silent glucose and chiral amino acids enabled by $>10^5\,\mathrm{M^{-1}}$ adsorption constants. We validate adsorption using molecular dynamics simulations, reproduce experimental results using chiral transfer matrix simulations, and realize sensor programmability by tuning the PCM layer. This platform enables cost-effective in-situ enantiomer monitoring in aqueous environments.
title A wafer-scale ultrasensitive programmable chiroptical sensor
topic Optics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.11774