Chiral Semiconductor Nanoparticles for Protein Catalysis.

In this study, via a simple one-step method, chiral copper sulfide quantum dots (d/l-QDs) were prepared using d-/l-penicillamine (d-/l-Pen). The anisotropy factor of d/l-QDs was as high as 0.01. The d/l-QDs can be used as photocatalysts to cleave proteins. Notably, the l-QDs displayed the highest catalytic performance under left-circularly polarized light irradiation. Mechanistic investigations indicate the generation of hydroxyl radicals as the reactive species that cause the cutting of proteins.