Dimerization-enhanced aggregation of chlorophyll into helical supramolecular polymers

Abstract

We designed a chlorophyll dyad that folds like a closed pair of scissors. Despite possessing identical interaction sites to its monad counterpart, the folded dyad exhibited markedly enhanced aggregation behavior, forming micrometer-scale helical nanofibers. We propose that this enhanced aggregation propensity upon dimerization arises from conformational fixation through folding.