Decoding Molecular Handedness With Terahertz Waves: From Enantiomer Recognition to High‐Sensitivity Chiral Detection

Abstract

The recognition and quantification of chiral enantiomers hold great significance in pharmaceutical, agrochemical, and biomedical fields, as they exhibit distinctive biological characteristics and metabolic behaviors. The advent of terahertz (THz) technology has emerged as a paradigm‐shifting tool for chiral sensing by probing low‐frequency vibrational and rotational modes intrinsic to chirality with non‐destructive, low‐energy photons. This review elucidates the importance of chiral sensing, along with the traditional detection methods of chiral molecules. The primary focus is on recent advancements of THz technology applied to chirality detection, encompassing enantiomer recognition, quantitative, and highly sensitive detection. It also discusses current limitations and future development directions of THz technology in chiral sensing.