Controlled packing of chiral assembly scaffolds to promote chiral J-aggregation of carbocyanine dyes

Controlled aggregation of dyes is crucial to achieve their desired optical and electronic properties. Here, we report the induction of chiral J-aggregation of carbocyanine dyes by using lysine-derived amphiphile assemblies as scaffolds in water. The molecular structure of the amphiphiles affected the packing of the assembly. The tight packing with some flexibility promoted the formation of J-aggregates of the dyes with strong chiroptical properties. Lysine-derived amphiphile assemblies with moderate tightness of packing served as scaffolds for the chiral J-aggregation of cyanine dyes in water. The induced J-aggregates showed high absorption and emission dissymmetry factors in the order of 10 −2 .