Chiral Epitaxy: Enantioselective Growth of Chiral Nanowires on Low-Symmetry Two-Dimensional Materials

Noya Ruth Itzhak; Kate Reidy; Maya Levy-Greenberg; Paul Anthony Miller; Chen Wei; Juan Gomez Quispe; Raphael Tromer; Olle Hellman; Shahar Joselevich; Aliza Ashman; Lothar Houben; Ifat Kaplan-Ashiri; Xiao-Meng Sui; Olga Brontvein; Katya Rechav; Laurent Travers; Pedro A. S. Autreto; Douglas S. Galvão; Federico Panciera; Oded Hod; Leeor Kronik; Frances M. Ross; Ernesto Joselevich

arXiv · 2603.24565

Chiral Epitaxy: Enantioselective Growth of Chiral Nanowires on Low-Symmetry Two-Dimensional Materials

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Abstract

Chiral crystals exhibit useful handedness-dependent properties, including spin selectivity and circularly polarized light sensitivity, yet controlling which enantiomer forms during synthesis remains a central challenge. Existing approaches utilize molecules in solution to template crystal growth, which restricts processing conditions and introduces organic contaminants incompatible with device fabrication. Enantioselective growth of a chiral crystal on a chiral surface via vapor-phase synthesis (chiral epitaxy) has not yet been demonstrated. Here, we show chiral epitaxy of aligned tellurium nanowires on a low-symmetry two-dimensional material, ReSe2. In situ electron microscopies suggest a mechanism where handedness is determined at nucleation by the interface energy difference between Te enantiomers and the chiral substrate surface. Chiral epitaxy provides a solvent-free, vapor-solid route to homochiral crystals compatible with semiconductor and quantum manufacturing processes.

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Noya Ruth Itzhak, Kate Reidy, Maya Levy-Greenberg, Paul Anthony Miller, Chen Wei, Juan Gomez Quispe, Raphael Tromer, Olle Hellman, Shahar Joselevich, Aliza Ashman, Lothar Houben, Ifat Kaplan-Ashiri, Xiao-Meng Sui, Olga Brontvein, Katya Rechav, Laurent Travers, Pedro A. S. Autreto, Douglas S. Galvão, Federico Panciera, Oded Hod, Leeor Kronik, Frances M. Ross, Ernesto Joselevich. 2026-03-25. Chiral Epitaxy: Enantioselective Growth of Chiral Nanowires on Low-Symmetry Two-Dimensional Materials. https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.24565

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