Influence of pH on the Micelle-to-Vesicle Transition in Aqueous Mixtures of Sodium Dodecyl Benzenesulfonate with Histidine

Directing Amphiphilic Self-Assembly: From Microstructure Control to Interfacial Engineering

The self-assembly of small molecules into complex nanoscale structures is driven by the interplay of various noncovalent interactions. It has now become evident that by maneuvering this intermolecular interaction the geometry and interfacial properties of several nanoscale objects can be tamed. In particular, diverse structures such as spheres, rods, worms, ribbons, and vesicles can be produced by tuning the packing of molecules in the aggregate. Stimuli-sensitive assemblies that can reversibly associate or dissociate in response to environmental changes have been fabricated as model systems for the self-regulated drug delivery vehicle. Surface passivation of inorganic materials can be achieved by the selective organization of molecules at the interface. Such surface functionalization of inorganic materials by organic counterparts provides kinetic stability in biological media and permits the selective binding of active ingredients. Advances made in the area of molecular self-assembly and factors governing such association processes have made it possible to control the interfacial properties and microstructure of nanoscale materials.

pH-Responsive self-assembly of cationic surfactants with a star-shaped tetra-carboxylate acid and the solubilization of hydrophobic drugs

This work involved the construction of pH-responsive self-assembly systems from a pH-sensitive four-arm carboxylate acid (4EOCOOH) and either the cationic single chain surfactant dodecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (DTAB) or the cationic gemini surfactant hexamethylene-1,6-bis(dodecyldimethylammonium bromide) (12-6-12). It was found that the constructed oligomeric-like structures from the mixtures of 4EOCOOH with DTAB or 12-6-12 greatly enhance the aggregation ability of the mixtures, thus improving the pH-responsivity. In particular, surfactant concentrations significantly affect the pH-responsivity at a fixed 4EOCOOH concentration. At higher surfactant concentrations, the pH-responsivity is suppressed, while at lower surfactant concentrations, the mixed aggregates gradually change from micelles to unstable large spherical aggregates or vesicles, and then to stable spherical aggregates, with decreasing pH. Moreover, the surfactant/4EOCOOH systems have different solubilization abilities for three hydrophobic drugs. For quercetin and baicalein, the systems support much better solubilization at lower pH values, while for indomethacin, the systems show better solubilization at higher pH values. In particular, compared with DTAB, 12-6-12 is more efficient in constructing pH-responsive systems, and the 12-6-12/4EOCOOH mixture shows better ability for solubilizing hydrophobic drugs. This work will be helpful in the design of high-efficiency, pH-responsive surfactant systems for solubilizing hydrophobic drugs by simply mixing pH-sensitive molecules with surfactants.

Multiple Responsive Fluids Based on Vesicle to Wormlike Micelle Transitions by Single-Tailed Pyrrolidone Surfactants

We report a new family of multiple responsive fluids based on the single-tailed pyrrolidone surfactants, N-ethyl-2-pyrrolidone N-alkyl amine (C(m)NP, where m = 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18). These surfactants are highly sensitive to solution pH as a result of the presence of the N-amino group in the molecules. Equilibrium surface tension results indicate that both the surface activity and micellization ability of C(m)NPs decrease with the increase of the protonation degree; i.e., they exhibit a higher critical micelle concentration (cmc) and higher surface tension at the cmc (γ(cmc)) at the acidic conditions than those at the basic conditions. The cmc values of C(m)NPs follow the well-known Klevens equation, which decrease linearly with the increase of the hydrocarbon chain length m at a given pH. More importantly, the self-assemblies of C(m)NPs are highly sensitive to pH, CO2, and CuCl2, as identified by turbidity and viscosity. The transitions between vesicles and wormlike micelles are further confirmed by rheology, static and dynamic light scattering (SLS and DLS), cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques systematically. Although the aggregate transitions induced by different factors are similar, however, the mechanisms are different. The pH- and CO2-induced transitions are attributed to variation in the protonation degree of the N-amino group; however, CuCl2-induced transitions are a result of the formation of C(m)NP and CuCl2 coordination complexes as revealed by two-dimensional (2D) nuclear Overhauser effect spectrometry (NOESY) NMR and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectra.

Microstructural transition of aqueous CTAB micelles in the presence of long chain alcohols

The effect of long chain alcohols (C₉OH–C₁₂OH) on the micellar properties of CTAB in the presence of an inorganic salt, KBr, has been systematically studied by viscometry, rheology, DLS and the direct imaging technique,i.e.cryo-TEM.

An efficient route to rapidly access silica materials with differently ordered mesostructures through counteranion exchange

Control via exchange: By using a new type of imidazolium-based gemini surfactant as the template, highly ordered cubic mesoporous silica material (MCM-48) was directly synthesized in a broad range of reactant compositions and under mild conditions (see scheme). Moreover, by a simple counterion exchange strategy, hexagonal (MCM-41) and lamellar (MCM-50) mesoporous silicas are also easily and efficiently accessible.

PH-regulated molecular self-assemblies in a cationic-anionic surfactant system: from a "1-2" surfactant pair to a "1-1" surfactant pair

With the aid of pH variation, direct transformation of a "1-1" cationic-anionic surfactant pair to a "1-2" cationic-anionic surfactant pair was attained in the system of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and n-decylphosphoric acid. Owing to the transformation of a "1-1" pair to a "1-2" pair, diverse microstructures and peculiar phase behavior in this cationic-anionic surfactant mixture was obtained at different pH. It is proposed that pH can be manipulated for effectively tailoring the self-assembled organization in this cationic-anionic surfactant system, including spherical micelle, wormlike micelle, vesicle, and lamellar structure. In contrast to the conventional "1-1" surfactant pair, the "1-2" cationic-anionic surfactant pair exhibits unexpectedly weak aggregating ability. It is suggested that the hydrated volume of surfactant headgroup should be taken into consideration to better elucidate the self-assembly behavior of these "1-2" cationic-anionic surfactant mixtures.

Bile salt-induced vesicle-to-micelle transition in catanionic surfactant systems: steric and electrostatic interactions

The vesicle-to-micelle transition (VMT) was realized in catanionic surfactant systems by the addition of two kinds of bile salts, sodium cholate (SC) and sodium deoxycholate (SDC). It was found that steric interaction between the bile salt and catanionic surfactant plays an important role in catanionic surfactant systems that are usually thought to be dominated by electrostatic interaction. The facial amphiphilic structure and large occupied area of the bile salt are crucial to the enlargement of the average surfactant headgroup area and result in the VMT. Moreover, bile salts can also induce a macroscopic phase transition. Freeze-fracture transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, isothermal titration calorimetry, and absorbance measurements were used to follow the VMT process.

Adsorbed anthranilic acid molecules cause charge reversal of nonionic micelles

The effect of anthranilic acid, an aromatic amino acid, on the structural characteristics of nonionic micelles of Triton X-100 at different pH values was investigated by light scattering and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) measurements. The scattered light intensity decreases as pH is increased or decreased on either side of the isoelectric point (IEP = 3.4) of the amino acid. Analysis of the SANS data using a sticky hard-sphere model shows that the micelles are oblate ellipsoids with an axial ratio of approximately 2.3. No significant change could be observed in the size of the micelles with a change in the pH, while the stickiness parameter (tau), which is related to the interaction potential (u(0)) increases on either side of the IEP. As tau increases, u(o) becomes less negative, indicating a decrease in the attractive interaction between nonionic micelles. This can be explained in terms of the changes in the surface charge of the micelles resulting from a shift in the acid-base equilibrium of the adsorbed amino acid. The variation of the intermicellar interaction as calculated from the stickiness parameter is consistent with the picture of reversal of charge of amino acids with pH. This is further supported by the observed variation of the cloud point of the solutions at different pH values. The change in the interparticle interaction is also reflected in the diffusion coefficient of the micelles measured by dynamic light scattering.

Micelle–Vesicle Transition of Fatty Acid Based Ion-Pair Surfactants: Interfacial Evidence and Influence of the Ammonium Counterion Structure

We describe the synthesis and the physicochemical study of new ion-pair amphiphiles from a mixture of bicyclic, cyclic, linear or branched amines and fatty acids of three chain lengths. Surface-tension measurements of bicyclic, cyclic and branched structures of ammonium/alkanoate acid ion pairs show a phase transition, with two plateaux in the plot of surface tension versus log(c) (c=concentration). Such behaviour is related to the structure of the counterion, the alkyl chain length and the temperature. Pulsed gradient spin echo NMR spectroscopy experiments were performed to demonstrate the existence of micelles on the first plateau and to confirm the phase transition. The existence of vesicles on the second plateau of the surface tension was proved by CryoTEM observation and dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements. Mainly, according to the structure of the counterion, there is either a strong association and a positioning along the chain leading to vesicles or a less strong association leading to external positioning and the formation of micelles at low concentrations or vesicles at higher concentrations.

Salt-Induced Vesicle to Micelle Transition in Aqueous Solution of Sodium N-(4-n-Octyloxybenzoyl)-l-valinate

The self-organization of a single-tailed amino acid based chiral surfactant sodium N-(4-n-octyloxybenzoyl)-L-valinate (SOBV) has been studied in water. A number of techniques like surface tension, fluorescence probe, dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) have been utilized for characterization of the self-assemblies. The amphiphile forms large spherical vesicles of 400-600 nm diameters in dilute aqueous solution. However, the vesicles get transformed into spherical micelles with increase of surfactant concentration or upon addition of relatively low amount (20 mM) of NaCl or KCl. This is the first example of salt-induced vesicle to micelle transition (VMT) in a single surfactant system. The vesicles are stable in the temperature range of 30-70 degrees C. Cleavage of intermolecular hydrogen bonds among the amide groups in the presence of salt appears to be the plausible cause for the VMT.

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.

Reversible Micelle−Vesicle Conversion of Oleyldimethylamine Oxide by pH Changes

A preliminary study on the reversible micelle-vesicle conversion of oleyldimethylamine oxide [Kawasaki, H. et al. J. Phys. Chem. B. 2002, 106, 1524 ] is extended in the present study. In the presence of 0.01 M NaCl at a surfactant concentration of 0.05 M, a micelle-to-vesicle conversion with increasing degree of ionization alpha takes place in the following sequence: growth of fibrous micelle (alpha < 0.2), a fused network (alpha approximately 0.3), fibrous micelles + (perforated) vesicles (alpha = 0.4), and vesicles + lamellae (alpha = 0.5). Viscoelasticity correspondingly varies from the Maxwell-type behavior of the entangled network of fibrous micelles to the gel-like behavior of vesicle suspensions, via a fluid solution-like behavior of the fused network. This phase sequence is in contrast with the case of no added salt where no branching of micelles is observed, and long micelles and bilayers (vesicles + lamellae) coexist at alpha = 0.5. In water, a state of the lowest viscoelasticity occurs around alpha = 0.2 for both surfactant concentrations 0.05 and 0.15 M. Synergism between protonated and nonprotonated amine oxide headgroups is observed despite low ionic strengths. From the time course of the reversible micelle-vesicle conversion, vesicles seem to be formed from threadlike micelles within 25 h according to the shear moduli, while a longer conversion time is suggested by a flow property (viscosity). Shear thickening behavior is observed at alpha = 0.2 and 0.4 in 0.01 M NaCl but not in water.

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.