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.
There are billions of tiny packets of cellular material called extracellular vesicles (EVs) that are produced by cells and released into each person's blood, saliva, and other bodily fluids. EVs contain invaluable information, ...
Bio & Medicine
Oct 28, 2024
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56
A new framework bridges a gap in understanding RNA therapeutics by linking the structure of lipid nanoparticles to immune response. It can help scientists and engineers expand the use of RNA medicines beyond vaccines to other ...
Bio & Medicine
Oct 25, 2024
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140
Researchers at Nagoya University in Japan have addressed a significant challenge in nanosheet technology. Their innovative approach employs surfactants to produce amorphous nanosheets from various materials, including difficult-to-synthesize ...
Nanomaterials
Oct 21, 2024
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67
Micelles are spherical molecular structures usually formed by amphiphilic molecules with block structure, which contain both hydrophilic and hydrophobic parts. The hydrophobic tails of these molecules cluster together to ...
Bio & Medicine
Oct 9, 2024
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57
In recent years, quantum physicists and engineers have made significant strides toward the development of highly performing quantum computing systems. Realizing a quantum advantage over classical computing systems and enabling ...
Inspired by the cell membrane structure, researchers, led by Dr. Xiaoqing Huang (State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University) and Dr. Qi Shao ...
Nanomaterials
Aug 1, 2024
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65
Our cells and the machinery inside them are engaged in a constant dance. This dance involves some surprisingly complicated choreography within the lipid bilayers that comprise cell membranes and vesicles—structures that transport ...
Bio & Medicine
Jun 26, 2024
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62
The expansion of clean chemistry applications for the vortex fluidic device (VFD)—invented by Flinders University's Professor Colin Raston—continues with the successful rapid and simplified production of artificial liposomes ...
Bio & Medicine
May 3, 2024
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107
A soap film with chemically distinct sides represents the latest breakthrough in research led by chemist Sylvestre Bonnet. This unique soap film, along with an innovative device capable of continuously producing new soap ...
Soft Matter
Jan 25, 2024
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104
The humble membranes that enclose our cells have a surprising superpower: They can push away nano-sized molecules that happen to approach them. A team including scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology ...
Bio & Medicine
Jan 23, 2024
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