Nanocrystals as Model Systems for Studying the Interplay Between Crystallization and Chirality

The interplay between crystallization and chirality has fascinated chemists for over 170 years now. Many questions deal with the transfer of chirality from molecular level building blocks and crystal capping ligands to the macroscopic morphologies of crystals. Also the interest in nanoscale chiral crystallization and the relationship between chiral ligands and inorganic nanocrystals has recently arose. In this review we highlight several different topics related to studies of the interplay between chirality and crystallization that involve inorganic nanocrystals. Specifically, we differentiate between the effects of chiral molecules on inorganic nanocrystals with chiral or achiral crystal structures. In the first case, chirality may appear both at the atomic-scale and the particle shape, and in the second case chirality may be induced only at the particle shape level. We also discuss recent progress on the relationship between the atomic scale chirality and crystal morphology.