SYNTHESIS AND VESICLE FORMATION OF CATIONIC SURFACTANTS BASED ON TRISUBSTITUTED PERFLUOROALKYLATED THIOUREA

New perfluoroalkyl double-chain surfactants were synthesized based on trisubstituted perfluoroalkylated thiourea. These amphiphiles have a m odular structure consisting of hydrophobic tails, thiourea as connecto r, alkyl spacer, and ammonium head group. The modular organization all ows an independent variation of the key features in the amphiphilic st ructure. The synthesis strategy was based on the condensation reaction of 2-(F-alkyl)ethyl isothiocyanates with ylamino)-N-(2-hydroxy-2-F-al kyl)ethyl)-alkylamines and subsequent quaternization by methyl iodide to produce the trisubstituted perfluoroalkylated thiourea. The two rea ction steps proceed with high yields. The surface activity properties of the new amphiphiles were studied and the ability to self-assemble i nto bilayer vesicles was determined by freeze fracture electron micros copy and quasi-elastic light scattering.