An asymmetrical perylene diimide 3, N-（4-methoxyphenyl）-N＇-（4-nitrophenyl）-perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic diimide, was synthesized, and its self-assembly and dissociation behaviors in chloroform was studied in detail by UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopies. The resulting unique helical nanostructures from 3 were proposed to be self-assembled via the cooperative actions of π-π stacking, steric hindrance and electrophile-nucleophile type pairing.
