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

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