Chiral phenomena are common in living systems. Despite the fact that develo
pment of materials has often been inspired by chemistry from the biological
world, materials that take advantage of inherent chirality have found rela
tively few applications. It is therefore probable that m uch remains to be
gained from novel applications of molecular, macromolecular and supramolecu
lar chirality. Among the most intriguing recent advances in studies of chir
al materials is the development of mechanisms to control the shape and prop
erties of chiral molecules. Photo-induced helical chirality inversions have
been studied for several years and significant achievements have been repo
rted. Recently, electronically triggered systems have drawn significant att
ention. These technologies offer the potential for development of novel mat
erials that take advantage of photonic or electronic modulation of molecula
r recognition, optical or mechanical properties.