A switchable self-assembling and disassembling chiral system based on a porphyrin-substituted phenylalanine–phenylalanine motif

Artificial light-harvesting systems cannot self-assemble into photon-capturing structures that can reversibly switch into an inactive state. Here, the authors describe a simple and robust dipeptide construct which self-assembles to fibrils, platelets or nanospheres with varying optical properties.