Lamellar gels and spontaneous vesicles in catanionic surfactant mixtures

Caillé analysis of the small-angle X-ray line shape of the lamellar phase of 7:3 wt/wt cetyltrimethylammonium tosylate (CTAT)/sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS) bilayers shows that the bending elastic constant is kappa = (0.62 +/- 0.09)k(B)T. From this and previous results, the Gaussian curvature constant is kappa = (-0.9 +/- 0.2)k(B)T. For 13:7 wt/wt CTAT/SDBS bilayers, the measured bending elasticity decreases with increasing water dilution, in good agreement with predictions based on renormalization theory, giving kappa(o) = 0.28k(B)T. These results show that surfactant mixing is sufficient to make kappa approximately k(B)T, which promotes strong, Helfrich-type repulsion between bilayers that can dominate the van der Waals attraction. These are necessary conditions for spontaneous vesicles to be equilibrium structures. The measurements of the bending elasticity are confirmed by the transition of the lamellar phase of CTAT/SDBS from a turbid, viscoelastic gel to a translucent fluid as the water fraction is decreased below 40 wt %. Freeze-fracture electron microscopy shows that the gel is characterized by spherulite defects made possible by spontaneous bilayer curvature and low bending elasticity. This lamellar gel phase is common to a number of catanionic surfactant mixtures, suggesting that low bending elasticity and spontaneous curvature are typical of these mixtures that form spontaneous vesicles.     

Spontaneously formed nonequilibrium vesicles of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and sodium octyl sulfate in aqueous dispersions

It is well-known that vesicles form in mixtures of cationic and anionic surfactants. We have investigated mixtures of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and sodium octyl sulfate (SOS) with the latter in excess over a long time, about 500 days. We have followed the growth of the aggregates by light scattering and checked the morphologies by cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryoTEM). All samples showed a monotonic growth with decreasing rate (the change of size was about linear on a logarithmic time scale). In series of samples with weight ratio 30:70 of CTAB/SOS and total surfactant concentration between 0.5 and 3 wt %, the size increased with the surfactant concentration up to 2 wt % and decreased thereafter; cryoTEM examination revealed that the samples contained a majority of open bilayer structures at the highest concentrations. Part of the sample at 2 wt % was diluted to 0.5 wt % after 60 days. The size measured after dilution was slightly smaller than before but well above that found in the directly prepared 0.5 wt % sample, and the particle size in the three samples continued to grow in parallel. Structures other than unilamellar vesicles were observed also in samples at 2 wt % total surfactant concentration at CTAB/SOS ratios close to the borders of the vesicle lobe in the (quasi) ternary phase diagram as published (Yatcilla, M. T.; Herrington, K. L.; Brasher, L. L.; Kaler, E. W.; Chiruvolu, S.; Zasadzinski, J. A. J. Phys. Chem. 1996, 100, 5874). The results clearly show that the spontaneous vesicle populations do not represent equilibrium populations. They also suggest that the vesicle lobes in the phase diagram mainly represent areas where a lamellar phase is easily dispersed in the form of vesicles in an aqueous solution.     

Charge-induced unilamellar vesicle formation and phase separation in solutions of Di-n-decylmethylamine oxide

A double-tail amine oxide surfactant, di-n-decylmethylamine oxide (2C10MAO), was prepared, and the effects of protonation on aggregate structure were examined by small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM), turbidity, electric conductivity, and solubilization of an oil-soluble dye at various degrees of neutralization, X, defined as the mole ratio of HCl/2C10MAO. The surfactant makes an L(2) phase in the nonprotonated state (X = 0) in water. The L(2) phase is in equilibrium with an aqueous L(1) phase. On protonation, unilamellar vesicles (ULVs) are formed over a wide range of compositions (0.05 < X< 0.4-0.5 at C = 10 mM) as observed by cryo-TEM. At X = 0.2, the ULV is stable over a wide concentration range (3 mM < or = C < 0.1 M), but an L(alpha) phase replaces the vesicle phase at C > 0.1 M. SANS results show that the mean radius of the ULV is about 25 nm and the bilayer thickness is about 2 nm, consistent with the extended configuration of the alkyl chains of the surfactant. An important contribution to the enhanced stability of the bilayer structures over the L(2) phase is suggested to be the translational entropy of the counterions. The enhanced stability of the bilayers diminishes as the counterion concentration increases either by an increase of X or by the addition of a salt. When the counterion concentration exceeds a critical value, the ULV solutions transform into the L(2) phase (or L(2)/L(1) two-phase system at low surfactant concentrations). The critical composition X is about 0.4-0.5 in water, but it is below 0.4 in D(2)O. The critical NaCl concentration is below 5 mM at X = 0.2. The stability of ULVs against multilamellar vesicles is ascribed partly to undulation forces and partly to the adjustable nature of the spontaneous curvature of amine oxide monolayers. The characteristics of the ULV of the surfactant remain the same within a temperature range 25-50 degrees C at X = 0.2. An iridescent lamellar phase and possibly an L(3) phase were observed in a very narrow X range (0 < X < 0.02) prior to the vesicle phase.     

Small-angle neutron scattering from mixtures of sodium dodecyl sulfate and a cationic, bolaform surfactant containing azobenzene

This paper reports on the microstructures formed in aqueous solutions containing mixtures of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and a photosensitive, bolaform surfactant, bis(trimethylammoniumhexyloxy)azobenzene dibromide (BTHA). By using quasi-elastic light scattering and small-angle neutron scattering, we determined that aqueous solutions containing SDS and the trans isomer of BTHA (0.1 wt % total surfactant, 15 mol % BTHA, 85 mol % SDS) form vesicles with average hydrodynamic diameters of 1350 +/- 50 angstroms and bilayer thicknesses of 35 +/- 2 angstroms. The measured bilayer thickness is consistent with a model of the vesicle bilayer in which the trans isomer of BTHA spans the bilayer. Upon illumination with UV light, the BTHA underwent photoisomerization to produce a cis-rich photostationary state (80% cis isomer). We measured this photoisomerization to drive the reorganization of vesicles into cylindrical aggregates with cross-sectional radii of 19 +/- 3 angstroms and average hydrodynamic diameters of 240 +/- 50 angstroms. Equilibration of the cis-rich solution in the dark at 25 degrees C for 12 h or illumination of the solution with visible light leads to the recovery of the trans-rich photostationary state of the solution and the reformation of vesicles, thus demonstrating the potential utility of this system as the basis of a tunable fluid.     

Phase behavior of concentrated aqueous solutions of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and sodium hydroxy naphthoate (SHN)

We have characterized the phase behavior of mixtures of the cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and the organic salt 3-sodium-2-hydroxy naphthoate (SHN) over a wide range of surfactant concentrations using polarizing optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction. A variety of liquid crystalline phases, such as hexagonal, lamellar with and without curvature defects, and nematic, are observed in these mixtures. At high temperatures the curvature defects in the lamellar phase are annealed gradually on decreasing the water content. However, at lower temperatures these two lamellar structures are separated by an intermediate phase, where the bilayer defects appear to order into a lattice. The ternary phase diagram shows a high degree of symmetry about the line corresponding to equimolar CTAB/SHN composition, as in the case of mixtures of cationic and anionic surfactants.     

Spontaneously formed unilamellar vesicles with path-dependent size distribution

We observe the spontaneous formation of path-dependent monodisperse and polydisperse phospholipid unilamellar vesicles (ULV) from two different equilibrium morphologies specifically, disklike micelles and extended lamellae, respectively. On heating beyond a temperature Tc, low temperature disklike micelles, or so-called bicelles, transform into lamellae. Dilution of the lamellar phase, at a fixed temperature, results in a complete unbinding transition and the formation of polydisperse ULV, demonstrating the instability of the lamellar phase. On the other hand, heating of a dilute bicellar phase above Tc results in monodisperse ULV, which on cooling revert back to bicelles for lipid concentrations phi > or = 0.5 wt % and transform into oblate ellipsoids for phi = 0.1 wt %, a morphology not previously seen in "bicellar" lipid mixtures. Monodisperse ULV reform on heating of the oblate ellipsoids.     

A kinetic and product study of the Cl + HO2 reaction

Absolute rate data and product branching ratios for the reactions Cl + HO2 --> HCl + O2 (k1a) and Cl + HO2 --> OH + ClO (k1b) have been measured from 226 to 336 K at a total pressure of 1 Torr of helium using the discharge flow resonance fluorescence technique coupled with infrared diode laser spectroscopy. For kinetic measurements, pseudo-first-order conditions were used with both reagents in excess in separate experiments. HO2 was produced by two methods: through the termolecular reaction of H atoms with O2 and also by the reaction of F atoms with H2O2. Cl atoms were produced by a microwave discharge of Cl2 in He. HO2 radicals were converted to OH radicals prior to detection by resonance fluorescence at 308 nm. Cl atoms were detected directly at 138 nm also by resonance fluorescence. Measurement of the consumption of HO2 in excess Cl yielded k1a and measurement of the consumption of Cl in excess HO2 yielded the total rate coefficient, k1. Values of k1a and k1 derived from kinetic experiments expressed in Arrhenius form are (1.6 +/- 0.2) x 10(-11) exp[(249 +/- 34)/T] and (2.8 +/- 0.1) x 10(-11) exp[(123 +/- 15)/T] cm3 molecule(-1) s(-1), respectively. As the expression for k1 is only weakly temperature dependent, we report a temperature-independent value of k1 = (4.5 +/- 0.4) x 10(-11) cm3 molecule(-1) s(-1). Additionally, an Arrhenius expression for k1b can also be derived: k1b = (7.7 +/- 0.8) x 10(-11) exp[-(708 +/- 29)/T] cm3 molecule(-1) s(-1). These expressions for k1a and k1b are valid for 226 K < or = T < or = 336 and 256 K < or = T < or = 296 K, respectively. The cited errors are at the level of a single standard deviation. For the product measurements, an excess of Cl was added to known concentrations of HO2 and the reaction was allowed to reach completion. HCl product concentrations were determined by IR absorption yielding the ratio k1a/k1 over the temperature range 236 K < or = T < or = 296 K. OH product concentrations were determined by resonance fluorescence giving rise to the ratio k1b/k1 over the temperature range 226 K < or = T < or = 336 K. Both of these ratios were subsequently converted to absolute numbers. Values of k1a and k1b from the product experiments expressed in Arrhenius form are (1.5 +/- 0.1) x 10(-11) exp[(222 +/- 17)/T] and (10.6 +/- 1.5) x 10(-11) exp[-(733 +/- 41)/T] cm3 molecule(-1) s(-1), respectively. These expressions for k1a and k1b are valid for 256 K < or = T < or = 296 and 226 K < or = T < or = 336 K, respectively. A combination of the kinetic and product data results in the following Arrhenius expressions for k1a and k1b of (1.4 +/- 0.3) x 10(-11) exp[(269 +/- 58)/T] and (12.7 +/- 4.1) x 10(-11) exp[-(801 +/- 94)/T] cm3 molecule(-1) s(-1), respectively. Numerical simulations were used to check for interferences from secondary chemistry in both the kinetic and product experiments and also to quantify the losses incurred during the conversion process HO2 --> OH for detection purposes.     

Effect of alpha-lactalbumin on aerosol-OT phase structures in oil/water mixtures

The ability of water-soluble, globular proteins to tune surfactant/oil/water self-assemblies has potential for the formation of biocompatible microemulsions and also plays a role in protein function at biological interfaces. In this work, we examined the effect of the protein alpha-lactalbumin on Aerosol-OT (AOT) phase structures in equivolume mixtures of oil and 0.1 M brine. In this pseudo-ternary system, surfactants are free to move to either oil or water phase to adopt phase structures close to the spontaneous curvature of the surfactants. Using small-angle X-ray scattering, we observed that addition of this protein changed the spontaneous curvature of the surfactant monolayer substantially. In the absence of protein, AOT adopted a negative spontaneous curvature to form spherical w/o microemulsion droplets. When less than 1 wt % of alpha-lactalbumin was added into the system, the w/o droplets became nonspherical and larger in volume, corresponding to an increase in water uptake into the droplets. As the protein-to-surfactant ratio increased, protein, surfactant, and oil increasingly partitioned toward the aqueous phase. There the protein triggered the formation of o/w microemulsions with a positive spontaneous curvature. These protein-containing structures exhibited significant interparticle attraction. We also compared the influence of two oil types, isooctane and cyclohexane, on the protein/surfactant interactions. We propose that the more negative natural curvature of the AOT/cyclohexane monolayer in the absence of protein prevented protein incorporation within organic phase structures and consequently pushed the system self-assembly toward aqueous aggregate formation.     

The Relation Between Phase Behavior and Formation of Narrow Size Distribution W/O Emulsions

Water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions of the water/C₁₂E₅/isooctanol/isooctane system have been prepared at 25° C. Phase behavior studies of the system with constant (2.5 and 6 wt.%) isooctanol concentration showed that the surfactant becomes more lipophilic with the increase in the alkanol concentration. Emulsification was carried out using four low-energy emulsification methods using the slow addition of one or various components to the rest of them, with gentle agitation. Emulsions with low-polydis-persity were obtained when the emulsification process started with a single lamellar liquid crystalline phase. If in addition to a lamellar liquid crystalline phase, other phases, such as excess water phase, were initially present, emulsions with intermediate polydispersity were produced. When a lamellar liquid crystalline phase was not involved and the spontaneous natural curvature of the surfactant was not changed during emulsification, highly polydisperse emulsions were obtained.     

AFM studies of solid-supported lipid bilayers formed at a Au(111) electrode surface using vesicle fusion and a combination of Langmuir-Blodgett and Langmuir-Schaefer techniques

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been used to characterize the formation of a phospholipid bilayer composed of 1,2-dimyristyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) at a Au(111) electrode surface. The bilayer was formed by one of two methods: fusion of lamellar vesicles or by the combination of Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) and Langmuir-Schaefer (LS) deposition. Results indicate that phospholipid vesicles rapidly adsorb and fuse to form a film at the electrode surface. The resulting film undergoes a very slow structural transformation until a characteristic corrugated phase is formed. Force-distance curve measurements reveal that the thickness of the corrugated phase is consistent with the thickness of a bilayer lipid membrane. The formation of the corrugated phase may be explained by considering the elastic properties of the film and taking into account spontaneous curvature induced by the asymmetric environment of the bilayer, in which one side faces the gold substrate and the other side faces the solution. The effect of temperature and electrode potential on the stability of the corrugated phase has also been described.     

Membrane electroporation and electromechanical deformation of vesicles and cells

Analysis of the reduced turbidity (delta T-/T0) and absorbance (delta A-/A0) relaxations of unilamellar lipid vesicles, doped with the diphenylhexatrienyl-phosphatidylcholine (beta-DPH pPC) lipids in high-voltage rectangular electrical field pulses, demonstrates that the major part of the turbidity and absorbance dichroism is caused by vesicle elongation under electric Maxwell stress. The kinetics of this electrochemomechanical shape deformation (time constants 0.1 < or = tau/microsecond < or = 3) is determined both by the entrance of water and ions into the bulk membrane phase to form local electropores, and by the faster processes of membrane stretching and smoothing of thermal undulations. Moreover, the absorbance dichroism indicates local displacements of the chromophore relative to the membrane normal in the field. The slightly slower relaxations of the chemical turbidity (delta T+/T0) and absorbance (delta A+/A0) modes are both associated with the entrance of solvent into the interface membrane/medium, caused by the alignment of the bipolar lipid head groups in one of the leaflets at the pole caps of the vesicle bilayer. In addition, (delta T+/T0) indicates changes in vesicle shape and volume. The results for lipid vesicles provide guidelines for the analysis of electroporative deformations of biological cells.     

Bending elasticity of charged surfactant layers: the effect of mixing

Expressions have been derived from which the spontaneous curvature (H(0)), bending rigidity (k(c)), and saddle-splay constant (k(c)) of mixed monolayers and bilayers may be calculated from molecular and solution properties as well as experimentally available quantities such as the macroscopic hydrophobic-hydrophilic interfacial tension. Three different cases of binary surfactant mixtures have been treated in detail: (i) mixtures of an ionic and a nonionic surfactant, (ii) mixtures of two oppositely charged surfactants, and (iii) mixtures of two ionic surfactants with identical headgroups but different tail volumes. It is demonstrated that k(c)H(0), k(c), and k(c) for mixtures of surfactants with flexible tails may be subdivided into one contribution that is due to bending properties of an infinitely thin surface as calculated from the Poisson-Boltzmann mean field theory and one contribution appearing as a result of the surfactant film having a finite thickness with the surface of charge located somewhat outside the hydrophobic-hydrophilic interface. As a matter of fact, the picture becomes completely different as finite layer thickness effects are taken into account, and as a result, the spontaneous curvature is extensively lowered whereas the bending rigidity is raised. Furthermore, an additional contribution to k(c) is present for surfactant mixtures but is absent for k(c)H(0) and k(c). This contribution appears as a consequence of the minimization of the free energy with respect to the composition of a surfactant layer that is open in the thermodynamic sense and must always be negative (i.e., k(c) is generally found to be brought down by the process of mixing two or more surfactants). The magnitude of the reduction of k(c) increases with increasing asymmetry between two surfactants with respect to headgroup charge number and tail volume. As a consequence, the bending rigidity assumes the lowest values for layers formed in mixtures of two oppositely charged surfactants, and k(c) is further reduced in anionic/cationic surfactant mixtures where the surfactant in excess has the smaller tail volume. Likewise, the reduction of k(c) is enhanced in mixtures of an ionic and a nonionic surfactant where the ionic surfactant has the smaller tail. The effective bilayer bending constant (k(bi)) is also found to be reduced by mixing, and as a result, k(bi) is seen to go through a minimum at some intermediate composition. The reduction of k(bi) is expected to be most pronounced in mixtures of two oppositely charged surfactants where the surfactant in excess has the smaller tail in agreement with experimental observations.     

Phase behavior of cetyltrimethylammonium surfactants with oligo carboxylate counterions mixed with water and decanol: attraction between charged planes or spheres with oligomeric counterions

Cetyltrimethylammonium surfactants with a range of oligo carboxylate anions bearing 2, 3, or 4 negative charges have been synthesized, and their respective behaviors in binary mixtures with water and in ternary mixtures with added decanol have been investigated. In binary mixtures with water, all surfactants formed nearly spherical micelles at high water contents; however, the interactions between micelles varied strongly with the number of charges in the counterion. Micelles with divalent counterions were generally miscible with water, whereas micelles with tri- or tetravalent counterions demixed in one concentrated and one dilute phase. Addition of decanol resulted in all cases in the appearance of a lamellar phase, and all investigated oligo carboxylate anions (di-, tri-, and tetravalent) gave rise to a strong attraction between the lamellar planes, resulting in a limited swelling (up to 35-40 wt % water) of the lamellar phase in contact with excess water. These experiments confirm the theoretically predicted influence of aggregate geometry (spheres or planes) on the attraction between colloidal aggregates neutralized by multivalent counterions. Further addition of decanol resulted in the appearance of a second birefringent phase in equilibrium with the lamellar phase. SWAXS showed this phase to be lamellar and to display short-range order that disappeared upon heating. This phase is identified as a lamellar gel phase (Lbeta-phase).     

Mechanical properties of surfactant bilayer membranes from atomistic and coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations

We use simulations to predict the stability and mechanical properties of two amphiphilic bilayer membranes. We carry out atomistic MD simulations and investigate whether it is possible to use an existing coarse-grained (CG) surfactant model to map the membrane properties. We find that certain membranes can be represented well by the CG model, whereas others cannot. Atomistic MD simulations of the erucate membrane yield a headgroup area per surfactant a(0) of 0.26 nm(2), an elastic modulus K(A) of 1.7 N/m, and a bending rigidity kappa of 5 k(B)T. We find that the CG model, with the right choice for the size and potential well depth of the head, correctly reproduces a(0), kappa, as well as the fluctuation spectrum over the whole range of q values. Atomistic MD simulations of EHAC, on the other hand, suggest that this membrane is unstable. This is indicated by the fact that kappa is of the order of k(B)T, which means that the interface is extremely flexible and diffuse, and K(A) is close to zero, which means that the surface tension is zero. We argue that the CG model can be used if the headgroups are uncharged, dipolar, or effectively dipolar due to headgroup charge screening induced by counterion condensation.     

Kinetics and mechanism of the pyridinolysis of s-4-nitrophenyl 4-substituted thiobenzoates in aqueous ethanol

The pyridinolysis of S-4-nitrophenyl 4-X-substituted thiobenzoates (X = H, Cl, and NO2; 1, 2, and 3, respectively) is studied kinetically in 44 wt % ethanol-water, at 25.0 degrees C and an ionic strength of 0.2 M (KCl). The reactions are measured spectrophotometrically (420-425 nm) by following the appearance of 4-nitrobenzenethiolate anion. Pseudo-first-order rate coefficients (kobsd) are obtained throughout, under excess of amine over the substrate. Plots of kobsd vs [free amine] at constant pH are linear with the slope (kN) independent of pH. The Brnsted-type plot (log kN vs pKa0 of the conjugate acids of the pyridines) for the reactions of thiolbenzoate 1 is curved with a slope at high pKa, beta1 = 0.20, and slope at low pKa0, beta2 = 0.94. The pKa value for the center of the Brnsted curvature is pKa0 = 9.7. The pyridinolysis of thiolbenzoates 2 and 3 show linear Brnsted-type plots of slopes 0.94 and 1.0, respectively. These results and other evidence indicate that these reactions occur with the formation of a zwitterionic tetrahedral intermediate (T+/-). For the pyridinolysis of thiolbenzoate 1, breakdown of T+/- to products (k2 step) is rate-limiting for weakly basic pyridines and T+/- formation (k1 step) is rate-determining for very basic pyridines. The k2 step is rate-limiting for the reactions of thiolbenzoates 2 and 3. The smallest pKa0 value for the reaction of 1 is due to the weakest electron withdrawal of H (relative to Cl and NO2) in the acyl group, which results in the smallest k-1/k2 ratio. The pKa0 values for the title reactions are smaller than those for the reactions of secondary alicyclic amines with thiolbenzoates 1-3. This is attributed to a lower leaving ability from the T+/- of pyridines than isobasic alicyclic amines. The lower p value found for the pyridinolysis of 2,4-dinitrophenyl benzoate (pKa0 = 9.5), compared with that for the pyridinolysis of 1, is explained by the greater nucleofugality from T+/- of 2,4-dinitrophenoxide than 4-nitrobenzenethiolate, which renders the k-1/k2 ratio smaller for the reactions of the benzoate relative to thiolbenzoate 1. The title reactions are also compared with the aminolysis of similar thiolbenzoates in other solvents to assess the solvent effect.     

Effects of newcastle disease virus glycoproteins on the structural and thermal behaviour of 1,2-dihexadecyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine lipid membranes under osmotic stress conditions

The interaction of hem agglutininneuraminidase (HN) and fusion (F) glycoproteins with swollen vesicles of 1,2-dihexadecyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine (DHPC) was investigated under transition from gel to fluid phase. X-ray studies of the structure of lipid/HN-F mixtures in normal and swollen vesicles have shown that the lamellar bilayer structure predominate in the gel and liquid crystalline phases. A swollen lipid phase, in which the mean repeat distance of lipid bilayers is larger than in the other phases was found. The nature of this phase is similar to the anomalous bilayer swelling reported in literature. The presence of HN and F in the vesicles led to the coexistence of structures with low and high lamellar order, showing larger repeat distance in comparison with the pure lipid. This finding was attributed to the increase in the lipid bilayer thickness due to the HN-F included in the free water layer. The thermal behaviour of the system was not affected by the vesicle swelling. The data showed the existence of gel and liquid crystalline lamellar phases and changes in lipid/HN-F specific heats, mainly due to the concentration effect of the HN-F and its location in the free water layer.     

Properties of surfactant monolayers in relation to microemulsion phase behaviour

The relationship between the properties of surfactant monolayers at oil-water interfaces and the phase behaviour in bulk of mixtures of oil + water + surfactant is discussed. Such monolayer properties include the spontaneous curvature, c_o the interfacial tension, I γ, the elasticity K (or rigidity) associated with the mean curvature, and the elasticity K associated with the Gaussian curvature. The model system chosen for investigation is the anionic surfactant AOT + aqueous NaCl + n-alkane at 20°C. In such systems, inversion of microemulsion type from oil-in-water (o/w) to water-in-oil (w/o) is possible with increasing electrolyte concentration. The tension, γ, passes through an ultralow minimum value at conditions corresponding to the formation of three phases. Using small angle neutron scattering, we have determined the structure of surfactant-rich third phases (c_o ~ 0) formed with the different alkanes. Lamellar phases consisting of surfactant monolayers separated alternately by oil and water appear with short alkanes, whereas L₃ and bicontinuous phases form in systems containing longer alkanes. The bending elasticity K has been measured for planar monolayers at the oil-water interface by ellipsometry. K is independent of salt concentration but depends markedly on alkane chain length N, falling from ~ 1 k_BT for N < 11 to ~0.1 k_BT for N = 14. This is discussed in terms of the differing extents of oil penetration into the surfactant chains. Higher rigidities favouring lamellar phases and lower rigidities favouring bicontinuous microemulsions are in line with the theoretical predictions of de Gennes and Taupin. Estimates of the constant K have been obtained in droplet microemulsions (w/o) from a knowledge of their size, K and γ. The sign of the constant is in agreement with the geometry of the phases formed in three phase systems. Finally, the ideas and concepts developed in the oil-water systems described above are used to explain the wetting behaviour by alkanes of AOT monolayers at the air-water surface.     

Vesicle shapes from molecular dynamics simulations

Lipid bilayer membranes are known to form various structures such as large sheets or vesicles. When the two leaflets of the bilayer have an equal composition, the membrane preferentially forms a flat sheet or a spherical vesicle. However, a difference in the composition of the two leaflets may result in a curved bilayer or in a wide variety of vesicle shapes. Vesicles with different shapes have already been shown in experiments and diverse vesicle shapes have been predicted theoretically from energy minimization of continuous curves. Here we present a molecular dynamics study of the effect of small changes in the phospholipid headgroups on the spontaneous curvature of the bilayer and on the resulting vesicle shape transformations. Small asymmetries in the bilayers already result in high spontaneous curvature and large vesicle deformations. Vesicle shapes that are formed include ellipsoids, discoids, pear-shaped vesicles, cup-shaped vesicles, as well as budded vesicles. Comparison of these vesicles with theoretically derived vesicle shapes shows both resemblances and differences.     

Cubic, sponge, and lamellar phases in the glyceryl monooleyl ether-propylene glycol-water system

The phase behavior of 1-glyceryl monooleyl ether (GME) in mixtures of propylene glycol (PG) and water was investigated by visual inspection, polarization microscopy, small-angle X-ray diffraction, and conductance measurements. A phase diagram, based on over 200 samples of the ternary system GME-PG-water, was constructed at 20 degrees C. Without PG, GME forms a reverse micellar phase with up to 10 wt % water and a reverse hexagonal liquid-crystalline phase between 10 and 25 wt % water, a phase that can coexist with excess water. If PG is added in amounts exceeding about 10 wt %, then cubic and lamellar liquid-crystalline phases start to form. A cubic phase, belonging to space group Pn3m, can coexist with excess PG-water mixtures. If even more PG is added, then the cubic phase is transformed into a sponge phase. A lamellar phase forms at water contents between 10 and 15 wt % and with widely differing PG/GME weight ratios. We postulate that the phase behavior is caused by the fact that PG makes the interfacial region between self-assembled GME and PG-water less negatively curved, which in turn allows for the formation of the new phases. The phase behavior obtained for the GME system shows a striking similarity with the phase behavior of the corresponding system in which the GME has been replaced by the ester, 1-glycerol monooleate (GMO), differing only in one extra carbonyl oxygen. The major difference is the lower amount of water present in the GME phases, an effect that is mainly due to the more hydrophobic character of GME compared to that of GMO.     

Self-assembled aggregates originated from the balance of hydrogen-bonding, electrostatic, and hydrophobic interactions

Rich phase behavior was observed in salt-free cationic and anionic (catanionic) mixtures of a double-tailed surfactant, di(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (abbreviated as DEHPA), and tetradecyldimethylamine oxide (C(14)DMAO) in water. At a fixed C(14)DMAO concentration, phase transition from L(1) phase to L(α) phase occurs with increasing amounts of DEHPA. Moreover, in the L(α) phase, with the increase in DEHPA concentration, a gradual transition process from vesicle phase (L(αv)) to stacked lamellar phase (L(αl)) was determined by cryo- and FF-TEM observations combining with (2)H NMR measurements. The rheological data show that the viscosity increases with DEHPA amounts for L(αv) phase samples because of the increase in vesicle density. At a certain molar ratio of DEHPA to C(14)DMAO, i.e., 80:250, the samples are with the highest viscoelasticity, indicating the existence of densely packed vesicles. While for L(αl) phase samples, with increasing DEHPA amount, a decrease of bilayer curvature was induced, leading to a decrease of viscosity obviously. Compared with general catanionic surfactant mxitures, in addition to the electrostatic interaction of ion pairs, the transition of the microstructures is also ascribed to the formation of the hydrogen bonding (-N(+)-O-H···O-N-) between C(14)DMAO molecules and protonated C(14)DMAOH(+), which induces the growth of aggregates and the decrease of aggregate curvatures.