Dimension-Tunable Circularly Polarized Luminescent Nanoassemblies with Emerging Selective Chirality and Energy Transfer.

Abstract

The selective interplay between dimensional morphology transition and signal transfer is an important feature for both nanomaterials and biosystems. While most of those reported examples considered either dimensional transition or signal transfer, the integrated interplay or selectivity for these two aspects in single self-assembled system has been rarely studied. Here, we report that a positively charged chiral π-building block could self-assemble into multidimensional nanostructures, which showed tunable circularly polarized luminescence (CPL). Impressively, when these CPL-active multidimensional structures interacted with two achiral dyes (positively charged ThT and negatively charged CNA), 3D nanocubes and 0D nanospheres showed neither chirality transfer nor energy transfer, while 2D nanoplates could successfully trigger a selective chirality or energy transfer depending on the charge type of acceptor dyes, which then emitted an enhanced CPL signal. This work demonstrated rational design of charged π-building block for the construction of dimension controllable and selective signal transfer self-assembly system, which might deepen the understanding the interplay of dimensional structures and signal transfer functions in natural and nano systems.