Optical and Antibacterial Properties of Chiral Arginine-Stabilized ZnO Nanoparticles

The surface ligands of nanoparticles (NPs) play essential roles in material synthesis, properties, and applications. Chiral molecules have been the new hot topic in tuning the properties of inorganic NPs. Herein, l-arginine- and d-arginine-stabilized ZnO NPs were prepared, and the TEM, UV–vis, and PL spectra were investigated, which demonstrated that the l-arginine and d-arginine have different effects on the self-assembly and photoluminescence properties of ZnO NPs, showing an evident chiral effect. Furthermore, the results of the cell viability assays, plate counting method, and bacterial SEM images showed that ZnO@LA possessed lower biocompatibility and higher antibacterial efficiency than those of ZnO@DA, implying that the chiral molecules on the surface of nanomaterials may affect their bioproperties.