Evidence for vesicle formation from 1:1 nonionic surfactant span 60 and fatty alcohol mixtures in aqueous ethanol: potential delivery vehicle composition

A study of the self-organization of nonionic surfactant span 60 (sorbitan mono stearate) in presence of fatty alcohol (stearyl, cetyl and lauryl) is presented. When ethanolic solution of the surfactant–fatty alcohol (1:1) mixture is added in water spontaneous large unilamellar vesicles (LUV) are formed which may potentially be useful vehicles for drug delivery purposes. Vesicular suspension has been characterized by transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, confocal laser scanning microscopy, dye entrapment and release studies. Surface tension measurement indicates the suitability of fatty alcohols towards spontaneous vesicle formation from span 60.     

Temperature-induced self-assembly of triple-responsive triblock copolymers in aqueous solutions

A series of triple-thermoresponsive triblock copolymers from poly(N-n-propylacrylamide) (PNPAM, A), poly(methoxydiethylene glycol acrylate) (PMDEGA, B), and poly(N-ethylacrylamide) (PNEAM, C) was synthesized by sequential reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerizations. Polymers of differing block sequences, ABC, BAC, and ACB, with increasing phase transition temperatures in the order A < B < C were prepared. Their aggregation behavior in dilute aqueous solution was investigated using dynamic light scattering, turbidimetry, and NMR spectroscopy. The self-organization of such polymers was found to dependent strongly on the block sequence. While polymers with a terminal low-LCST (lower critical solution temperature) block undergo aggregation above the first phase transition temperature at 20-25 °C, triblock copolymers with the low-LCST block in the middle show aggregation only above the second phase transition. The collapse of the middle block is not sufficient to induce aggregation but produces instead stable, unimolecular micelles with a collapsed middle block, as supported by NMR and fluorescence probe data. Continued heating of all copolymers led to two additional thermal transitions at 40-55 and 70-80 °C, which could be correlated to the phase transitions of the B and C blocks, respectively. All polymers show a high tendency for cluster formation, once aggregation is induced. The carrier abilities of the triple responsive triblock copolymers for hydrophobic agents were probed with the solvatochromic fluorescence dye Nile Red. With passing through the first thermal transition, the block copolymers are capable of solubilizing Nile Red. In the case of block copolymers with sequences ABC or ACB, which bear the low-LCST block at one terminus, notable amounts of dye are solubilized already at this stage. In contrast, the hydrophobic probe is much less efficiently incorporated by the BAC triblock copolymer, which forms unimolecular micelles. Only after the collapse of the B block, when reaching the second phase transition at about 45 °C, does aggregation occur and solubilization becomes efficient. In the case of ABC and ACB polymers, the hydrophobic probe seems to partition between the originally collapsed A chains and the additional hydrophobic chains formed after the collapse of the less hydrophobic B block.     

Probing lipid vesicles by bimolecular association and dissociation trajectories of single molecules

Vesicles prepared by DMPC (1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine) and SOPC (1-stearoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine) lipid molecules having sizes smaller than the diffraction-limited focused laser beam have been used to confine single molecules in the laser focus. The confinement of single molecules in a volume smaller than the focused laser beam leads to a Gaussian distribution of single molecule fluorescence intensity. The interactions of single Nile Red molecules with DMPC and SOPC lipid bilayers were studied by single molecule fluorescence confocal microscopy. Nile Red molecules were observed to associate with and dissociate from individual DMPC and SOPC vesicles adsorbed on a glass surface, generating on-and-off fluctuations in a fluorescence signal representing a very low noise two-state trajectory. Off-time statistics were used to investigate the mean radius of the vesicles and the size distribution functions. The means of the on-time distributions of Nile Red in DMPC and SOPC vesicles were significantly different. The association and dissociation reactions of single Nile Red molecules with a vesicle have been studied. Features of the bimolecular interaction between the probe Nile Red and the vesicle were evaluated from the uncorrelated mean on-time and vesicle radius distributions, and the linear Nile Red concentration dependence of the mean off-time. Nile Red is shown to be a useful probe of the structural fluctuations and heterogeneity of these membrane structures, and it is a useful model with which to directly study a diffusion-influenced reversible bimolecular reaction.     

Aggregation and micelle formation of ionic liquids in aqueous solution

Association of ionic liquids possessing n-octyl moiety either in the cation or in the anion has been studied in aqueous solution with conductivity and turbidity measurements as well as using 2-hydroxy-substituted Nile Red solvatochromic probe. 1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium octyl sulfate was found to act as a surfactant above 0.031 M critical micelle concentration. In contrast, 1-methyl-3-octylimidazolium chloride produced inhomogeneous solution of larger aggregates, which were dissolved on the addition of more than 2:1 molar excess of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) due to mixed micelle formation. Even small amount (<10 mM) of ionic liquids could markedly reduce the polarity of the Stern layer of SDS micelle.     

Kinetics of thermo-induced micelle-to-vesicle transitions in a catanionic surfactant system investigated by stopped-flow temperature jump

The kinetics of thermo-induced micelle-to-vesicle transitions in a catanionic surfactant system consisting of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and dodecyltriethylammonium bromide (DEAB) were investigated by the stopped-flow temperature jump technique, which can achieve T-jumps within ～2-3 ms. SDS/DEAB aqueous mixtures ([SDS]/[DEAB] = 2/1, 10 mM) undergo microstructural transitions from cylindrical micelles to vesicles when heated above 33 °C. Upon T-jumps from 20 °C to final temperatures in the range of 25-31 °C, relaxation processes associated with negative amplitudes can be ascribed to the dilution-induced structural rearrangement of cylindrical micelles and to the dissolution of non-equilibrium mixed aggregates. In the final temperature range of 33-43 °C the obtained dynamic traces can be fitted by single exponential functions, revealing one relaxation time (τ) in the range of 82-440 s, which decreases with increasing temperature. This may be ascribed to the transformation of floppy bilayer structures into precursor vesicles followed by further growth into final equilibrium vesicles via the exchange and insertion/expulsion of surfactant monomers. In the final temperature range of 45-55 °C, vesicles are predominant. Here T-jump relaxations revealed a distinctly different kinetic behavior. All dynamic traces can only be fitted with double exponential functions, yielding two relaxation times (τ(1) and τ(2)), exhibiting a considerable decrease with increasing final temperatures. The fast process (τ(1)～ 5.2-28.5 s) should be assigned to the formation of non-equilibrium precursor vesicles, and the slow process (τ(2)～ 188-694 s) should be ascribed to their further growth into final equilibrium vesicles via the fusion/fission of precursor vesicles. In contrast, the reverse vesicle-to-micelle transition process induced by a negative T-jump from elevated temperatures to 20 °C occurs quite fast and almost completes within the stopped-flow dead time (～2-3 ms).     

Influence of temperature on the colloidal stability of the F-DPPC and DPPC liposomes induced by lanthanum ions

The influence of La(3+) on the colloidal stability of liposomes made up by two zwitterionic phospholipids, 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) and 1-palmitoyl-2-[16-fluoropalmitoyl-phosphatidylcholine (F-DPPC), in aqueous media has been investigated by dynamic light scattering and electrophoretic mobility. The critical aggregation concentration (c.a.c.) of La(3+) for F-DPPC and DPPC liposomes were experimentally obtained, and the results were compared with theoretical predictions using the Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek theory. In order to evaluate the influence of the state of the bilayer on the stability of liposomes, all experiments were performed at temperatures below and above the chain-melting phase-transition temperature of lipids (transition temperature of lipids). Changes in the size of both types of liposomes and high values of polydispersity in the presence of La(3+) showed that these ions induce aggregation of liposomes at 25 °C and at 60 °C. At 25 °C, when the bilayer of F-DPPC liposomes is interdigited, DPPC liposomes are more resistant to aggregation than the liposomes formed with F-DPPC. However, this difference disappears at 60 °C, when both bilayers have the same conformation. The experimental results also indicate that the c.a.c. is higher at 60 °C than at 25 °C for both types of liposomes. In fact, it has been observed by dynamic light scattering measurements that aggregation of liposomes at 25 °C can be prevented by increasing the solution temperature for La(3+) concentrations near to the c.a.c. Moreover, the behavior of these liposomes in the presence of the ion was studied at temperatures above and below the transition temperature of the phospholipids.     

Temperature-dependent vesicle formation of aqueous solutions of mixed cationic and anionic surfactants

The phase behavior of aqueous solutions of mixed cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and sodium octyl sulfate (SOS) was examined at different temperatures (20, 30, 40, and 50 degrees C). While stable vesicles were formed in a narrow composition range on the SOS-rich side at 20 degrees C, the range widened remarkably when the temperature was raised to 30 degrees C. Thus, the vesicle region extended to cover almost the entire composition range, CTAB:SOS = 0.5:9.5-5.0:5.0, at the total surfactant concentrations of 50-70 mM on the SOS-rich side. To analyze the temperature dependence of this phase behavior of the mixed surfactant system, DSC and fluorescence polarization measurements were performed on the system. The experimental findings obtained revealed that pseudo-double-tailed CTAB/SOS complex, the major component of the bimolecular membrane formed by the surfactant mixture, undergoes a gel (Lbeta)-liquid crystal (Lalpha) phase transition at about 26 degrees C. This phenomenon was interpreted as showing that the bimolecular membrane has no curvature and is rigid and easy to precipitate at temperatures below the phase transition point, whereas it has a curvature and is loose enough to disperse in the solution as vesicles at temperatures above the phase transition point. Vesicles formed by the anionic/cationic surfactant complex were then stable at temperatures above the phase transition temperature of the complex.     

Aggregation phenomena on the ternary ionic-nonionic surfactant system: didodecyldimethylammonium bromide/octyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside/water. Mixed microaggregates, vesicles, and micelles

The formation of a variety of mixed colloidal aggregates has been investigated on a ternary ionic-nonionic system constituted by (i) a double-chain cationic surfactant with a 12-carbon atom hydrophobic tail, didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (di-C(12)DMAB), (ii) a nonionic single-chain surfactant, octyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside (OBG), and (iii) water. The study has been carried out by means of conductivity, zeta-potential, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) experiments on the highly diluted, very diluted, and moderately diluted regions. The formation of mixed microaggregates, prior to the appearance of mixed vesicles, has been undoubtly confirmed by conductivity, TEM, and zeta-potential results. The concentrations at which these mixed colloidal aggregates form, i.e., the mixed critical microaggregate concentration (CAC), the mixed critical vesicle concentration (CVC), and the mixed critical micelle concentration (CMC), have been determined from conductivity data, while the zeta-potential experiments allow for the characterization of the aggregate/solution interface. The shape and size of the microaggregates and vesicles have been evaluated from TEM and cryo-TEM micrographs, respectively. All of the experimental evidence has been also analyzed in terms of the theoretical packing parameter, P.     

Phase behavior, self-assembly, and emulsification of tween 80/water mixtures with limonene and perfluoromethyldecalin

The phase behavior, microstructure, and emulsification of polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monooleate (Tween 80), water, and d-limonene (LM) or perfluoromethyldecalin (PFMD) has been studied by small-angle X-ray scattering and polarizing optical microscopy. In the Tween 80/water binary system, a micellar solution (L(1)), a hexagonal (H(1)) phase, and a water-swellable isotropic surfactant liquid (L(2)) phase are successively formed at 25 °C. LM can be solubilized into all of the phases formed by Tween 80/water mixtures, whereas no solubilization of PFMD occurs. The L(2) phase was found by small-angle neutron scattering to be bicontinuous with low interfacial curvature. Added water swells and amplifies the pre-existing amphiphilic structure. The stability of oil-in-H(1) complex emulsions is found to be sensitive to changes in structure that accompany solubilization.     

Cationic prevesicle and vesicle nanoaggregates: an experimental and theoretical study

The formation of spontaneous mixed prevesicles and vesicles consisting of a cationic double-chain surfactant, didecyldimethylammonium bromide (di-C(10)DMAB), and a cationic single-chain alkyltrimethylammonium bromide with 10 and/or 14 carbon atoms (decyltrimethylammonium bromide, C(10)TAB, and/or tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide, C(14)TAB) has been investigated by means of a series of (i) highly precise experimental techniques, such as conductometry, transmission electronic microscopies (TEM and cryo-TEM), laser Doppler electrophoresis (LDE), and steady-state fluorescence spectroscopy and (ii) theoretical models, such as the DLVO theory and two of its main further modifications, Inoues's and Sogami's models. Two new potentials, based on the combination of DLVO or Inoue potentials with that of Sogami, have been proposed and checked. This theoretical analysis has been carried out not only for the aggregates studied in this work but also for other di-C(m)DMAB + C(n)TAB (m = 10, 12 and n = 10, 12, 14) systems previously reported by us. In respect to the experimental study, special emphasis has been devoted to the prevesicle domain. We have confirmed the existence of two critical aggregation concentrations in the very diluted concentration domain, where the conductivity plot shows a zigzag pattern: the so-called mixed critical aggregate concentration, CAC* and the mixed critical vesicle concentration, CVC*. Contrarily, only CVC* is detected. The pre-CAC* nanoaggregates, with a variety of sizes and shapes, do not show a clear aggregation pattern, but even at such low concentrations a small number of nanoaggregates with a clear and ordered aggregation pattern has been visualized. In the postvesicle domain, the aggregates (vesicles) are unilamellar and spherical with a medium polidispersity and a net averaged surface density charge of around 14 x 10(-3) (pure vesicles) and 24 x 10(-3) C m(-2) (mixed vesicles). The hydrophobicities of the lipidic bilayer and the surface of the vesicles resemble those of media with dielectric constants of around 30 and 75, respectively. Finally, theoretical predictions confirm the stability of the pure and mixed vesicles studied in this work and in other works previously reported.     

Electrochemical, microscopic, and spectroscopic characterization of prevesicle nanostructures and vesicles on mixed cationic surfactant systems

Several experimental techniques (conductivity, zeta potential, transmission electronic microscopy, and steady-state fluorescence spectroscopy) have been used to study the formation of mixed colloidal aggregates consisting of a cationic double-chain surfactant, di-dodecyldimethylammonium bromide (di-C12DMAB), and a single-chain alkyltrimethylammonium bromide with 10 and/or 14 carbon atoms (decyltrimethylammonium bromide, C10TAB, and/or tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide, C14TAB). Special interest has been devoted to the prevesicle domain, within which the formation of aggregated nanostructures was first reported in our laboratory. For that purpose, studies have been carried out on the very dilute region by means of conductivity experiments, confirming the existence of two critical aggregation concentrations in that concentration domain: the so-called mixed critical aggregate concentration, CAC, and the mixed critical vesicle concentration, CVC. By carrying out TEM experiments on negatively stained samples, we were surprised to find a number of aggregates without a clear aggregation pattern and with a variety of sizes and shapes at concentrations below CAC, where only monomers were expected. However, the nanoaggregates found at concentrations between CAC and CVC, also by TEM microscopy, show a clear and ordered "fingerprint"-like aggregation pattern similar to the liquid-crystalline phases reported for DNA-liposome complexes and/or DNA packed with viral capsids. Finally, at total surfactant concentrations above CVC, the aggregates were confirmed, by means of cryo-TEM micrographs and zeta potential measurements, to be essentially unilamellar spherical vesicles with a medium polydispersity and a net-averaged surface density charge of around 12 x 10(-3) C m(-2). The fluorescence emission of two probes, TNS (anionic) and PRODAN (nonionic), allows for the analysis of the micropolarity and microviscosity of the different microenvironments present in aqueous surfactant solutions where the above-mentioned vesicle and prevesicle aggregates are present.     

pH-dependent chiral vesicles from enantiomeric sodium 2,3-bis(decyloxy) succinate in aqueous solution

Enantiomeric, twin-tailed, twin-chiral, sodium (2R,3R)-(+)-bis(decyloxy)succinate and sodium (2S,3S)-(-)-bis(decyloxy)succinate have been synthesized and characterized. Surface tension, conductivity, and steady-state fluorescence spectroscopic measurements confirmed the presence of two aggregation concentrations, namely, the critical micellar concentration (CMC) and the critical vesicle concentration (CVC). The compounds behaved as true surfactants, with a CMC of 0.05 mM, and formed vesicles spontaneously in aqueous solution at a CVC of 0.14 mM. The compounds formed myelin figures in contact experiments, suggesting the formation of bilayers in aqueous solution culminating into individual vesicles. The vesicles were of 500-800 nm size and formed egg shells, porous spheres, and multivesicular vesicles, confirmed from transmission electron microscopy and optical microscopic techniques. The vesicles were found to be pH sensitive, were stable in the pH range 6-8, and formed the insoluble diacid at acidic pH due to protonation of the carboxylate head groups.     

Spectrophotometric study of the interaction of some triphenylmethane dyes and 1-carbethoxypentadecyltrimethylammonium bromide

The effect of the cationic surfactant 1-carbethoxypentadecyltrimethylammonium bromide at above and below its critical micelle concentration on the absorption spectra and the values of the apparent dissociation constant pK(2) of the dyes Phenol Red, Bromophenol Blue and Bromocresol Green has been studied, along with the influence of a strong electrolyte (NaCl) on the effects produced by the presence of surfactant micelles in the dye solution.     

A COMPARISON OF THERMALLY INDUCED CHANGES IN SONICATED PHOSPHOLIPID AND SURFACTANT VESICLES BY MEANS OF INTRA-MOLECULAR EXCIMER-FORMING PROBE

Abstract The molecule (1,l'-dipyrenyl)-methyl ether (dipyme) was used for monitoring the bilayer fluidity of surfactant and sonicated phospholipid vesicles. In the latter systems, the observed transition temperatures ( Tc ) are identical with those found by different methods. Surfactant vesicles prepared from dioctadecyldimethylammonium bromide (DODAB) and dihexadecylphosphate (DHP) molecules manifest a similar fluidity of their bilayers as those of sonicated phospholipid vesicles below their Tc. However, unlike in phospholipid vesicles, there was no significant change of the bilayer structure above Tc observed in surfactant vesicles. DHP vesicles formed in pure water provide a different solubilization site for dipyme than those prepared in a buffer solution. Such sites are characterized by a relatively high local concentration of the probe and the appearance of the blue shifted spectrum of the excimer.     

Thin wetting films from aqueous solutions of surfactants and phospholipid dispersions

The microscopic thin wetting film method was used to study the stability of wetting films from aqueous solution of surfactants and phospholipid dispersions on a solid surface. In the case of tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (C(14)TAB) films the experimental data for the receding contact angle, film lifetime, surface potential at the vapor/solution and solution/silica interface were used to analyze the stability of the studied films. It is shown that with increasing C(14)TAB concentration charge reversal occurs at both (vapor/solution and solution/silica) interfaces, which affects the thin-film stability. The spontaneous rupture of the thin aqueous film was interpreted in terms of the earlier proposed heterocoagulation mechanism. The presence of the mixed cationic/anionic surfactants was found to lower contact angles and suppresses the thin aqueous film rupture, thus inducing longer film lifetime, as compared to the pure amine system. In the case of mixed surfactants hetero-coagulation could arise through the formation of ionic surfactant complexes. The influence of the melting phase-transition temperature T(c) of the dimyristoylphosphatiddylcholine (DMPC) on the stability of thin films from dispersions of DMPC small unilamellar vesicles on a silica surface was studied by measuring the film lifetime and the TPC expansion rate. The stability of thin wetting films formed from dispersions of DMPC small unilamellar vesicles was investigated by the microinterferometric method. The formation of wetting films from diluted dispersions of DMPC multilamellar vesicles was studied in the temperature range 25-32 degrees C. The stability of thin film of lipid vesicles was explained on the basis of hydrophobic interactions. The results obtained show that the stability of wetting films from aqueous solutions of single cationic and mixed cationic-anionic surfactants has electrostatic origin, whereas the stability of the phospholipid film is due to hydrophobic interaction.     

Effect of the headgroup structure on the aggregation behavior and stability of self-assemblies of sodium N-[4-(n-dodecyloxy)benzoyl]-l-aminoacidates in water

Three amino acid-derived chiral surfactants, sodium N-[4-(n-dodecyloxy)benzoyl]-L-leucinate (SDBL), sodium N-[4-(n-dodecyloxy)benzoyl]-L-isoleucinate (SDBIL), and sodium N-[4-(n-dodecyloxy)benzoyl]-L-threoninate (SDBT), were synthesized, and their aggregation behavior was studied in aqueous solution. Surface tension, fluorescence probe, dynamic light scattering, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), gel permeation chromatography, circular dichroism, and optical as well as transmission electron microscopic techniques were utilized to characterize the self-assemblies formed by the amphiphiles. Results of these studies reveal that the surfactants have a very low critical aggregation concentration (cac) and they form spherical vesicles spontaneously in dilute aqueous solution. The mean diameters of the vesicles were measured to be in the range of 130-190 nm. 1H NMR spectra indicated hydrogen bonding between the amide groups near the surfactant headgroup, which is one of the driving forces for vesicle formation. The vesicle formation is more favored at a pH of about 7.0. The amphiphiles also form chiral helical aggregates at relatively higher concentrations as indicated by circular dichroism spectra. The stability of the vesicles was also evaluated with respect to the surfactant concentration, pH, temperature, and aging. The vesicles have a tendency to transform into elongated vesicles (closed tubules) or rodlike micelles with an increase of the surfactant concentration and/or pH. On the basis of the results obtained from different studies, phase diagrams for all three water/amphiphile systems have been constructed. The studies have further shown that the stereogenic center at the amino acid side chain has a significant effect on the aggregation properties of the amphiphiles and on the stability of the self-assemblies.     

正负离子表面活性剂混合体系中高稳定性囊泡的形成

对总浓度为0.01 mol/L，摩尔比为2：1的十二烷基硫酸钠/溴化十二烷基三乙 铵的正负离子表面活性剂混合体系形成的囊泡的稳定性进行了研究。发现这一体系 形成的囊泡在长放置（5个月）后依然存在。在加入较大量的无机盐（0.15 mol/L NaBr）、较大幅度pH变化（pH = 2～12）、温度变化（从80 ℃到-22 ℃）情况下 体系中的囊泡依然呈现出优异的稳定性。在非水溶剂乙醇（100%）中这类正负离子 表面活性剂仍然可以形成囊泡。     

Removal of Disperse Dyes from Water Using Surfactant Treated Alumina

An alumina surface was modified by adsorption of an anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Typical S‐shaped isotherm of surfactant on alumina was observed. The adsorption of Disperse Red‐11, Disperse Blue‐26 and Disperse Red‐156 on alumina and surfactant treated alumina has been investigated. The enhancement in adsorption of these disperse dyes on surfactant treated alumina is observed, which may be attributed to their solubilization in surfactant aggregates formed at the solid/liquid interface. The effect of pH on adsorption has been studied. The adsorption is greatly influenced by pH of the medium. The applicability of the Langmuir model and the Dual‐Mode sorption model (DSM) were tested for equilibrium data.     

Nile Red nucleoside: design of a solvatofluorochromic nucleoside as an indicator of micropolarity around DNA

The fluorophore, Nile Red, effectively works as a polarity-sensitive fluorescence probe. We have designed a new nucleoside modified by Nile Red for examining the change in the polarity of the microenvironment surrounding DNA. We synthesized a Nile Red nucleoside (1), formed by replacing nucleobases with Nile Red, through the coupling of a 2-hydroxylated Nile Red derivative and 1,2-dideoxyglycan. This nucleoside showed a high solvatofluorochromicity. The fluorescence of 1 incorporated into DNA was greatly shifted to shorter wavelength by the addition of beta-cyclodextrin. The photophysical function of the Nile Red nucleoside will be a good optical indicator for monitoring the change in the micropolarity properties at a specific site on target sequences with interaction between DNA and DNA-binding molecules.     

Phase Behavior in Mixtures of Cationic Dimeric and Anionic Monomeric Surfactants

The formation of mixed aggregates has been investigated in the mixture of oppositely charged surfactants vastly differing in molecular geometry and size. The systems considered is mixture of the cationic gemini surfactant, ethanediyl-1,2-bis(dodecyldimethylammonium bromide), and anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate. Various mixed nano- and microaggregates (micelles, vesicles, thin lamellar sheets, and tubules) were formed depending on bulk composition and total surfactant concentration. Two types of aggregates were found in precipitate, the tubules as prevailing aggregates on the gemini-rich side, and vesicles as prevailing aggregates on the SDS-rich side. The tubules formation was ascribed to mutual influence of specific structure of cationic dimeric surfactant and electrostatic interactions at the bilayer/solution interface. The proposed mechanism involved the formation of lamellar sheets, which rolled-up into tubules.