Chiral transformers: reconfigurable nanoassemblies for single-step enrichment of low-abundance biomarkers

Abstract Once assembled, chiral and achiral inorganic nanostructures are typically static 1–4 because rigid cores and strong van der Waals interactions lock their building blocks into thermodynamically stable configurations. 5 In contrast, biological assemblies are dynamic and reorganize across multiple length scales to acquire diverse functions. To bridge this gap between irreversible inorganic constructs and adaptive biological systems, we show that penicillamine-functionalized chiral CuS nanosheets reversibly self-assemble into supraparticles with media-responsive organization and multiscale reconfigurability. By tuning attractive and repulsive interactions through pH, temperature, and chemical additives, these hierarchical microstructures undergo repeated assembly–disassembly cycles and access a broad family of isomorphs spanning nanometer-to-micron length scales. In biological fluids, these reconfigurable, high surface area supraparticles enable rapid, non-denaturing, chirality-dependent protein capture, achieving 10- to ~1,000-fold enrichment of low-abundance disease markers essential for disease diagnostics and biotechnology. 6,7