Chiral organic semiconducting materials for next-generation optoelectronic sensors

THE BIGGER PICTURE Circularly polarized light (CPL) plays a crucial role in numerous advanced technologies owing to its unique helicity information. Chiral organic semiconducting materials, capable of directly interacting with CPL, are gaining importance due to their distinctive intrinsic properties. Despite their potential, a limited number of candidates, challenges in synthesis, and poor chiroptical/electrical properties have hindered the widespread adoption of chiral organic semiconducting materials in practical applications. However, recent years have witnessed active research in this field, addressing previously daunting problems and brightening the prospects for this area. Here, a comprehensive review has been conducted to shed light on this emerging field; it encompasses foundational knowledge, material selection, performance enhancement strategies, and potential applications with the aims of contributing to the understanding of circularly polarized photodetectors based on chiral organic semiconducting materials and providing a valuable foundation for future development in the field. Surpassing the photodetection efficiency and circular polarization discrimination ability of conventional inorganic photodetectors with external optical elements holds the potential to usher in a new era of optoelectronic sensors, impacting diverse areas from high-resolution imaging to quantum computing.