Chiral polymer micro/nano-objects: evolving preparation strategies in heterogeneous polymerization

Chirality is a fundamental geometric property prevalent in nature, spanning from biomolecules to macroscopic structures. This review explores the rapidly evolving field of chiral polymer micro/nano-objects, which are increasingly applied in chiral recognition, asymmetric catalysis, and circularly polarized luminescence. Conventional heterogeneous polymerization techniques—such as emulsion, precipitation, dispersion, and suspension polymerizations—have emerged as powerful methods for preparing these chiral micro/nano-objects. Additionally, the polymerization-induced chiral self-assembly strategy based on living heterogeneous polymerization has attracted attention for its efficiency and versatility in producing well-defined chiral polymer assemblies with tunable morphologies. This review summarizes recent advances in these preparation strategies, emphasizing the importance of heterogeneous polymerization in developing chiral polymer materials with enhanced optical and functional properties.