Chirality as a tool for controlling photoresponsiveness of supramolecular arrangements (SUPRA-CHIRAL)

Self-organisation and chirality are common in nature. However, utilizing inherent chirality of chiral molecules to operate molecular machines or to imprint new materials properties by light may address key challenges of current technology. One possible way to assure and strengthen the chiral light-chiral material interaction is to use supramolecular systems possessing macroscopic chirality. The main aim is to design smart supramolecular chiral self-organizing materials with helix length close to the visible light wavelength; this can assure contactless control and tuning of their behaviour by direct matter-light interaction. Specifically, new chiral mesogenic materials, chiral dopants with build-in functionality, like photo-activity and luminescence, will be developed to gain the systematic knowledge on the molecular architecture – nano-organization relationship for the above mentioned photosensitive supramolecular systems. Expected outcomes of the project are not only of high fundamental interest but also very vital for the foreseen specific practical applications.