Surfactants, micelles, and vesicles constitute a class of self-assembled soft-matter physical systems arising from amphiphilic molecules in solution. Above the critical micelle concentration, surfactants spontaneously form micelles, typically spherical or anisotropic aggregates with hydrophobic cores and hydrophilic coronas, governed by minimization of interfacial free energy and packing constraints. At higher concentrations or appropriate conditions (e.g., temperature, ionic strength, tail architecture), these assemblies can transition into bilayer-based vesicles, closed shell structures encapsulating aqueous volumes and exhibiting bending elasticity, membrane tension, and permeability properties. Collectively, these systems serve as model platforms for studying interfacial thermodynamics, mesoscale organization, and transport phenomena in complex fluids.
A new study may change the way scientists think about the distance traveled by tiny bubbles carrying signals between cells that are embedded in tissue. These particles, called extracellular vesicles, are known to safely carry ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Feb 11, 2026
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Polymer micelles are tiny, self-assembled particles that are revolutionizing the landscape of drug delivery and nanomedicine. They form when polymer chains containing both hydrophilic and hydrophobic segments organize into ...
Bio & Medicine
Feb 9, 2026
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A study from FAU has shown that lipid nanoparticles restructure their membrane significantly after being absorbed into a cell and ending up in an acidic environment. Vaccines and other medicines are often packed in little ...
Bio & Medicine
Feb 4, 2026
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When water and ions move together through channels only a nanometer wide, they behave in unusual ways. In these tight spaces, water molecules line up in single file. This forces ions to shed some of the water molecules that ...
Bio & Medicine
Feb 2, 2026
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Extracellular vesicles and particles are central to how cells communicate, especially in cancer, where they help shape metastasis and treatment resistance. However, most existing methods analyze vesicles in bulk, masking ...
Bio & Medicine
Feb 1, 2026
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Researchers from Drexel University who discovered a versatile type of two-dimensional conductive nanomaterial called MXene nearly a decade and a half ago, have now reported on a process for producing its one-dimensional cousin: ...
Nanomaterials
Jan 29, 2026
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61
In an unlikely collaboration between Skoltech's Petroleum Center and the drug delivery team from the Institute's Neuro Center, researchers have proposed new surfactants that enhance oil recovery when pumped into a well, along ...
Bio & Medicine
Jan 27, 2026
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Cancer is transported from one organ to another by invisible bubbles. Understanding these microscopic messengers could change the fight against metastasis.
Bio & Medicine
Jan 26, 2026
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In a study published in the Journal of Extracellular Vesicles, scientists from the UF Health Cancer Institute have found a way to make treatment for a notoriously aggressive breast cancer more effective. Using a delivery ...
Bio & Medicine
Jan 23, 2026
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31
Biological processes that govern our lives are many, intertwined, and often difficult to understand. They involve countless interactions happening at once—molecules recognizing each other, signals being transmitted, and matter ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jan 23, 2026
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