Fig. 3

TPPS₄ J-aggregates with opposite chirality signs selected by microvortices. a Formation of chiral supramolecular nanotubes by the self-assembly of achiral TPPS₄ building blocks (blue) and the C₂mim⁺ ionic stabilizer (red) within the microvortices. b UV-Vis spectra exhibit a monomer peak at 433 nm and a J-aggregate peak at 491 nm for TPPS₄ assemblies from the L- (blue line) and R-outlet (red line). c CD spectra indicate opposite chirality of the TPPS₄ assemblies from the L- (blue line) and R-outlet (red line). d CD signals of 28 independent experiments reveal nearly absolute chirality control over supramolecular TPPS₄ assemblies from the L- (void blue circles) and R-outlet (solid red circles). e, f Cryo-EM examinations of TPPS₄ aggregates from the L- and R-outlet show the hollow tubular nanostructures with an average diameter of 12.8 ± 0.1 nm (mean ± s.e.m.; n = 40). Scale bars, 50 nm. The insets are the enlarged cryo-EM images. Scale bars in the insets, 20 nm