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Freeze-fracture transmission electron microscopy studies on the self-assemblies of amphiphilic solutions

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Abstract

Self-assemblies of amphiphiles in solutions were investigated by using freeze-fracture transmission electron microscopy (FF-TEM). Especially, vesicles were characterized by FF-TEM and the transition of self-assemblies was determined. The stacked lamellar Lα-phase was prepared without shear forces by a chemical reaction. The stacked lamellar Lα-phase can be transformed into multilamellar vesicles by the shearing forces that occur when the stacked lamellar Lα-phase sample is turned upside down a few times. The multilamellar vesicles can also be transformed into unilamellar vesicles by high shearing forces. These transitions were demonstrated by FF-TEM measurements. Zn2+-induced vesicle formation in the single-chain surfactant solutions was first achieved.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory for Colloid and Interface Chemistry, Shandong University, Ministry of Education, 250100, Jinan, China

    Jingcheng Hao, Guiying Xu & Liqiang Zheng

  2. Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 730000, Lanzhou, China

    Jingcheng Hao & Weimin Liu

  3. College of Chemistry, Peking University, 100871, Beijing, China

    Jianbin Huang

  4. Physical Chemistry I, Bayreuth University, 95440, Bayreuth, Germany

    H. Hoffmann

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  1. Jingcheng Hao
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  2. Jianbin Huang
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  3. Guiying Xu
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  4. Liqiang Zheng
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  5. Weimin Liu
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  6. H. Hoffmann
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Correspondence to Jingcheng Hao.

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Hao, J., Huang, J., Xu, G. et al. Freeze-fracture transmission electron microscopy studies on the self-assemblies of amphiphilic solutions. Sc. China Ser. B-Chem. 46, 567–576 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1360/03yb0008

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1360/03yb0008

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