Small aldehyde molecule are demonstrated to induce cationic diphenylalanine to assemble into monodisperse enzyme-responsive nanocarriers with high biocompatibility and excellent biodegradability. The formation of Schiff base covalent bond and accompanying π–π interaction of aromatic rings are found to be the mainly driving forces for the assembly of the nanocarriers. Interestingly, the nanocarriers show autofluorescence due to the n–π* transitions of C = N bonds, which lends them visually traceable property in living cells. Importantly, the nanocarriers can be taken in by cells and biodegraded in the cells. In addition, doxorubicin is easily loaded into the nanocarriers with high encapsulation amount, and its release can be triggered by tyrisin under physiological conditions. Noticeably, even at a very low drug concentration, the doxorubicin-loaded nanocarriers still exhibit a much higher killing capacity of HeLa cells in vitro, compared to the equivalent-dose free doxorubicin, indicating they have a great potential biomedical application.

Photocatalytically active, multi-chambered, biomolecule-based microspheres were prepared by hierarchical co-assembly of simple dipeptides and porphyrins. The colloidal microspheres are highly hydrated and consist of a network of J-aggregate nanoscale substructures that serve as light-harvesting antennae with a relatively broad spectral cross-section and considerable photostability. These optical properties can be exploited in photocatalytic reactions involving inorganic or organic species. Taken together, these structural and functional features suggest that soft porous biomolecule-based colloids are a plausible photosynthetic model that could be developed towards demonstrating aspects of primitive abiotic cellularity.

Photocatalytically active, multi-chambered, biomolecule-based microspheres were prepared by hierarchical co-assembly of simple dipeptides and porphyrins. The colloidal microspheres are highly hydrated and consist of a network of J-aggregate nanoscale substructures that serve as light-harvesting antennae with a relatively broad spectral cross-section and considerable photostability. These optical properties can be exploited in photocatalytic reactions involving inorganic or organic species. Taken together, these structural and functional features suggest that soft porous biomolecule-based colloids are a plausible photosynthetic model that could be developed towards demonstrating aspects of primitive abiotic cellularity.