Controlling the Helicity Direction of Nanoribbons by Circularly Polarized Light

Synthesizing helical nanostructures by the noncovalent bonded supramolecular coassembling method has received much attention because it has versatile applications in biological systems. Generating helical polymer structures using circularly polarized (CP) light as a helical source has been limited due to the lack of molecular designs. Herein, we use a new supramolecular organogel sample state to get right- and left-helical nanoribbons produced by right- and left-CP light irradiation. The organogel system consists of long-chain amidoamine (C18AA) and 10,12-pentacosadiynoic acid (PCDA) monomers. The high helicity degree of the nanoribbons was measured by circular dichroism, and the helical direction can be regulated by right-/left-CP light. The helical direction of the right- and left- nanoribbons originated from the right- and left-CP light irradiation of the organogel. Our new concept using CP light in supramolecular organogels may lead to potential applications in biology, pharmacology, and chiral optics.