Morphologic Properties, Texture Transformations and Optical Refracting Properties: Aqueous Bicomponent Amphiphilic Lyotropic Systems

The mesomorphic, morphologic and optical refracting properties of the bicomponent amphiphilic lyotropic systems have been investigated. Five amphiphiles with various concentration combinations as cationic – cationic, anionic – anionic and cationic – anionic lyotropic mixtures have been used for preparation of lyotropic systems. The mixtures were prepared with a constant (amphiphile1 + amphiphile2)/water concentration ratio. Isotropic lyotropic phase and hexagonal and lamellar lyotropic mesophases have been found in lyotropic systems under investigations. Dynamics of change of the magneto-morphologic properties vs. time, character of the heterophase regions of the mesophase – isotropic liquid phase transitions and temperature dependencies of the optical refracting properties of these bicomponent amphiphilic lyotropic systems have been investigated.

Polymer-vesicle association

Mixed polymer-surfactant systems have been intensively investigated in the last two decades, with the main focus on surfactant micelles as the surfactant aggregate in interaction. The main types of phase behavior, driving forces and structural/rheological effects at stake are now fairly well understood. Polymer-vesicle systems, on the other hand, have received comparatively less attention from a physico-chemical perspective. In this review, our main goal has been to bridge this gap, taking a broad approach to cover a field that is in clear expansion, in view of its multiple implications for colloid and biological sciences and in applied areas. We start by a general background on amphiphile self-assembly and phase separation phenomena in mixed polymer-surfactant solutions. We then address vesicle formation, properties and stability not only in classic lipids, but also in various other surfactant systems, among which catanionic vesicles are highlighted. Traditionally, lipid and surfactant vesicles have been studied separately, with little cross-information and comparison, giving duplication of physico-chemical interpretations. This situation has changed in more recent times. We then proceed to cover more in-depth the work done on different aspects of the associative behavior between vesicles (of different composition and type of stability) and different types of polymers, including polysaccharides, proteins and DNA. Thus, phase behavior features, effects of vesicle structure and stability, and the forces/mechanisms of vesicle-macromolecule interaction are addressed. Such association may generate gels with interesting rheological properties and high potential for applications. Finally, special focus is also given to DNA, a high charge polymer, and its interactions with surfactants, and vesicles, in particular, in the context of gene transfection studies.

On the stability of liposomes and catansomes in aqueous alcohol solutions

In this work, a systematic study of effects of three cosolvents (methanol, ethanol, and 1-propanol) on the stability of liposomes formed from soybean phosphatidylcholine (PL-90) by a semispontaneous process was carried out. The experimental results revealed that significant enhancement of PL-90 liposome stability could be achieved by cosolvent addition with suitable amounts. A similar phenomenon was also observed for catansomes formed from ion-pair amphiphiles (IPAs) as demonstrated by decyltrimethylammonium dodecyl sulfate (DeTMA-DS) with a comparatively high concentration of 5 mM. In general, with continued increase in the cosolvent concentration, the stability of liposomes and catansomes first increased, reached a maximum, and then decreased. Furthermore, it was realized that the cosolvent effects on the liposome stability were very similar to those on the catansome stability, which might be also explained by the mechanism proposed on the basis of the viewpoint of a mixed solvent dielectric constant.

Specific alkali cation effects in the transition from micelles to vesicles through salt addition

The transition of ionic micelles to vesicles with added salts is explored in this paper. The catanionic surfactant solution was comprised of sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) and dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) with an excess of SDS. The micellar size increased with concentration for all salts. No anion specificity was found, probably because of the excess of SDS. However, when the cation of the added salt was varied, large differences were observed in the hydrodynamic radii of the aggregates. A classification of the cations according to their ability to increase the measured hydrodynamic radii follows a Hofmeister series. The change in aggregate size can be explained by modified counterion binding and dehydration of the surfactant headgroups.

Spontaneous formation of vesicles

his review highlights the relevant issues of spontaneous formation of vesicles. Both the common characteristics and the differences between liposomes and vesicles are given. The basic concept of the molecular packing parameter as a precondition of vesicles formation is discussed in terms of geometrical factors, including the volume and critical length of the amphiphile hydrocarbon chain. According to theoretical considerations, the formation of vesicles occurs in the systems with packing parameters between 1/2 and 1. Using common as well as new methods of vesicle preparation, a variety of structures is described, and their nomenclature is given. With respect to sizes, shapes and inner structures, vesicles structures can be formed as a result of self-organisation of curved bilayers into unilamellar and multilamellar closed soft particles. Small, large and giant uni-, oligo-, or multilamellar vesicles can be distinguished. Techniques for determination of the structure and properties of vesicles are described as visual observations by optical and electron microscopy as well as the scattering techniques, notably dynamic light scattering, small angle X-ray and neutron scattering. Some theoretical aspects are described in short, viz., the scattering and the inverse scattering problem, angular and time dependence of the scattering intensity, the principles of indirect Fourier transformation, and the determination of electron density of the system by deconvolution of p(r) function. Spontaneous formation of vesicles was mainly investigated in catanionic mixtures. A number of references are given in the review.

Stabilization of Catanionic Vesicles via Polymerization

Polymerizable cationic surfactant methacryloyloxyoctyl trimethylammonium bromide (MOTB) and anionic surfactant sodium 4-(omega-methacryloyloxyoctyl)oxy benzene sulfonate (MOBS) were synthesized. Stable catanionic vesicles can spontaneously form upon mixing the two oppositely charged surfactants in aqueous solution, which was further permanently fixed by polymerization. Surface tensiometry, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), static and dynamic laser light scattering (LLS), and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) were used in combination to characterize the catanionic vesicles before and after polymerization. The kinetics of formation and breakdown of unpolymerized catanionic vesicles were studied in detail employing stopped-flow light scattering. In contrast to unpolymerized vesicles, the polymerized ones exhibit permanent stability under external perturbations such as dilution or adding excess MOTB. A tentative explanation is proposed about why free radical polymerization can successfully fix the catanionic vesicles, the structure of which is well-known to be in dynamic equilibrium exchange with unimers.

Effect of electrolytes on the surface behavior of rhamnolipids R1 and R2

The surface behavior of solutions of the rhamnolipids, R1 and R2, were investigated in the absence and presence of an electrolyte (NaCl) through surface tension measurements and optical microscopy at pH 6.8. The NaCl concentrations studied are 0.05, 0.5 and 1M. Electrolytes directly affect the carboxylate groups of the rhamnolipids. The solution/air interface has a net negative charge due to the dissociated carboxylate ions at pH 6.8 with strong repulsive electrostatic forces between the rhamnolipid molecules. This negative charge is shielded by the Na(+) ions in the electrical double layer in the presence of NaCl, causing the formation of a close-packed monolayer, and a decrease in CMC, and surface tension values. The maximum compaction is observed at 0.5M NaCl concentrations for R1 and R2 monolayers, with the R1 monolayer more compact than R2. The larger spaces left below the hydrophobic tails of R1 with respect to that of R2, due to the missing second rhamnosyl groups are thought to be responsible for the higher compaction. The rigidity of both R1 and R2 monolayers increases with the electrolyte concentration. The rigidity of the R1 monolayer is greater than that of R2 at all NaCl concentrations due to the lower hydrophilic character of R1. The variation of CMC values as a function of NaCl concentration obtained from the surface tension measurements and critical packing parameter (CPP) calculations show that spherical micelles, bilayer and rod like micelles are formed in the rhamnolipid solutions as a function of the NaCl concentration. The results of optical microscopy supported these aggregation states indicating lamellar nematic liquid crystal, cubic lamellar and hexagonal liquid crystal phases in R1 and R2 solutions depending on the NaCl concentration.

Fluorescence delineation of the surfactant microstructures in the CTAB-sOS-H2O catanionic system

A key feature of amphiphilic molecules is their ability to undergo self-assembly, a process in which a complex hierarchical structure is established without external intervention. Ternary systems consisting of aqueous mixtures of cationic and anionic surfactants exhibit a rich array of self-assembled microstructures such as spherical and rodlike micelles, unilamellar and multilamellar vesicles, planar bilayers, and bicontinuous structures. In general, multiple complementary techniques are required to explore the phase behavior and morphology of aqueous systems of oppositely charged surfactants. As a novel and effective alternative approach, we use fluorescence spectroscopic measurements to examine the microstructures of aqueous cationic/anionic surfactant systems in the dilute surfactant region. In particular, we demonstrate that the polarity-sensitive fluorophore prodan can be used to demarcate the surfactant microstructures of the ternary system of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, sodium octyl sulfate, and water. As the fluorescence signature of this probe is dependent on the nature of the surfactant aggregates present, our method is a promising new approach to effectively map complex surfactant phase diagrams.

Glucose Encapsulation in Catanionic Vesicles and Kinetic Study of the Entrapment/Release Processes in the Sodium Dodecyl Benzene Sulfonate/Cetyltrimethylammonium Tosylate/Water System

The sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS)/cetyltrimethyl-ammonium tosylate (CTAT)/water ternary system has previously been shown to give rise to the formation of vesicles for well-defined compositions requiring an excess of one of the surfactants over the other. Two types of vesicular systems can thus be obtained (named V(+) and V(-), depending on the nature of the excess surfactant, i.e., CTAT or SDBS, respectively). In addition, the pure ion-pair amphiphile (IPA) can be obtained after removing the counterions. These different systems (V(+), V(-), and IPA) were investigated in regards to their ability to susbtantially retain a hydrophilic probe such as glucose. The influence of the initial glucose and surfactant concentrations was studied, and dialysis experiments were conducted with a view to determine the kinetics of glucose entrapment and release by the vesicles and, thus, to assess the possibility of a long-term encapsulation. The results indicate that all the vesicular systems studied here are characterized by quite a high permeability of the amphiphilic bilayer. However, SDBS-rich (V(-)) and IPA vesicles proved to be less permeable than CTAT-rich (V(+)) vesicles.

Properties of the amphiphilic films in mixed cationic/anionic vesicles: a comprehensive view from a literature analysis

The so-called 'catanionic' vesicles are made from mixtures of cationic and anionic surfactants. They are attracting much interest because they form spontaneously and they can be obtained from a variety of surfactants, either commercially available or issued from original synthesis. A distinction can be made between the properties of simple surfactant mixtures and of ion pair amphiphiles (IPA), in which the counterions have been removed. We have drawn up in this paper, an inventory of the different vesicular systems which have been described in the literature, insisting on the specific features associated with these two categories of systems. We have collected here especially, information concerning the phase behaviors, the microscopic composition of the vesicular particles, their structural and size determinations, the dynamic aspects (including the micelle-vesicle transition), the theoretical predictions from thermodynamic models and the entrapment of probe molecules. We discuss the potential of catanionic vesicles as delivery systems and we show that a full understanding of their entrapment/release properties will call for much more experimental work with well defined protocols. We also point out some unsolved questions concerning the role of the excess surfactant in the stabilization of the particles and the conditions required to obtain a favourable curvature of the surfactant film.

Thermodynamic Study on Vesicle Formation and Adsorption of Decyltrimethylammonium Decyl Sulfate

The surface tension of an aqueous solution of decyltrimethylammonium decyl sulfate (DeTADeS) was measured as a function of temperature T at various molalities &mcirc; under atmospheric pressure. DeTADeS has been found to form equilibrium multilamellar vesicles (MLV) spontaneously. The surface density, the entropies of adsorption, and the entropy of vesicle formation are evaluated. The mechanism of formation of equilibrium vesicles is investigated from the standpoint of thermodynamics and from the comparison of the results with those of the micelle-forming systems. From the relatively small change of the surface density Gamma;(H) on T at a given &mcirc;, the adsorbed film is implied to be tightly packed due to the strong electrostatic attraction between the polar headgroups. The energy change associated with adsorption from the vesicular state per mole of surfactant Delta(V)(H)u is positive in the entire temperature range; thus, the curved bilayer in MLV is energetically more favorable than the planar adsorbed film. From the negative values of the entropy of vesicle formation Delta(W)(V)s, it is concluded that vesicle formation is driven by enthalpy whereas micelle formation is mostly entropy driven. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.

Physicochemical Properties of Dodecylammonium Picrate

A novel surfactant, dodecylammonium picrate (DDAP), was synthesized and its crystal structure was determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. DDAP's physicochemical properties were examined by spectral (infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance), thermal, microscopic, and conductometric studies. The results revealed the influence of counterion specificity on thermal solid-state transitions and solution properties: the Krafft point, the aqueous solubility, the critical micelle concentration, the degree of counterion binding, and thermodynamic parameters of micellization. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.