The sergeants-and-soldiers effect: chiral amplification in naphthalenediimide nanotubes.

Self-assembling naphthalenediimide (NDI)-based helical organic nanotubes display sergeants-and-soldiers behaviour, chiral monomers imposing a supramolecular structure upon achiral monomers. Several achiral NDI monomers were synthesised and their ability to incorporate into supramolecular nanotubes was studied. Nanotubes containing predominantly the most effective soldier, derived from 1-aminocyclopropane-carboxylic acid, are effective hosts for C(60).