Aggregation-induced resonance Raman optical activity (AIRROA) : a new mechanism for chirality enhancement

Raman optical activity (ROA) spectroscopy is hampered by low sensitivity, with limited possibilities for enhancing the signal. In the present study, we report a new mechanism whereby chirality is enhanced using the resonance resulting from supramolecular aggregation. We have named this mechanism aggregation-induced resonance Raman optical activity (AIRROA). As an example, we study J-aggregates of astaxanthin (AXT), which show strong absorption of circularly polarized light in the range of ROA excitation. The implications of aggregation-induced signal enhancement for chiroptical spectroscopy are discussed.