Spontaneous Nanobelt Formation by Self-Assembly of β-Benzyl GABA

Abstract

We present the formation of a nanobelt by self-assembly of β-benzyl GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid). This simple γ-amino acid building block self-assembled to form a well-defined nanobelt in chloroform. The nanobelt showed distinct optical properties due to π-π interactions. This new-generation self-assembled single amino acid may serve as a template for functional nanomaterials.

Keywords: amino acids; nanostructures; photoluminescence; self-assembly.