Molecular self-assembly under kinetic control has many opportunities leading to novel phenomena and applications. However, a mechanistic insight into the intricate kinetic behavior is still lacking. Herein, we demonstrate that even a subtle change in the molecular structure affects the kinetic behavior of meta-stable supramolecular assembles. Interestingly, the kinetic process influenced the size of the final outcomes (in this study, nanosheet structures) in a manner opposite to that predicted by the thermodynamic model. Our findings illustrate the difference between thermodynamically and kinetically controlled molecular self-assemblies. We believe that this study will expand the potential applications of molecular self-assemblies. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.