Stimuli-Responsive Tunable Circular Dichroism Using Intrinsically Chiral Plasmon-Polyaniline Hybrid Nanostructures

Active chiral plasmonics holds significant potential in the dynamic manipulation of light polarization states that can be applied to sensors, smart windows, and switchable polarizers. However, the construction of active chiral plasmonic substrates with excellent stability and reversibility in a broad spectral range remains a significant challenge. Herein, we demonstrate the construction of a chiral plasmon-polymer system using chiral AuAg nanorods and polyaniline for the stimuli-responsive tunable circular dichroism. By tuning the polyaniline shell and the chiral Au cores with distinct geometric chirality, we demonstrate the wide applicability of the chiral plasmon-polymer structure in achieving a broad spectral range of active chiral plasmons. Moreover, the stimuli-responsive chiroptical switches using a chiral plasmon-polyaniline structure were also achieved at the single-particle level. The ability to fine-tune the chiroptical switching using intrinsically chiral plasmonic nanoparticles opens up unique opportunities for the dynamic manipulation of light polarization states toward active chiroptical applications.