On the assembly of chiral gold nanorods

Chirality at the nanoscale has emerged as a powerful design parameter for engineering light-matter interactions, catalytic activity, and biological recognition. Among inorganic nanomaterials, plasmonic gold nanostructures are particularly attractive owing to their tunable optical resonances and compatibility with biological environments. However, reproducible synthesis of chiral gold nanoparticles and systematic evaluation of their interactions with neural tissue remain limited. Here, we present a robust method to synthesize left- and right-handed chiral gold nanorods with controlled morphology and high enantiomeric purity. We identify precursor and chiral inducer concentration regimes that direct the formation of enantioselective chiral rod or branched structures. Further, we quantify their morphology-dependent thermo-plasmonic properties compared to achiral gold nanorods and their synergistic effect on the catalytic activity of the enzyme lactate dehydrogenase. Lastly, we interface these chiral nanorods with neuroblastoma and astrocyte cell lines to evaluate cell viability and cell shape responses as a function of particle morphology and chirality. Our findings reveal no enantioselective effects on short-term cell viability or morphology, suggesting that nanoscale chirality does not affect cell behavior beyond conventional concentration-dependent effects. Altogether, this work provides a comprehensive framework linking synthesis and properties of chiral gold nanorods and positioning them as non-toxic candidates towards future efforts in neuro-nanomedicine.