COOPERATIVE ORGANIZATION OF INORGANIC-SURFACTANT AND BIOMIMETIC ASSEMBLIES

A model that makes use of the cooperative organization of inorganic an d organic molecular species into three dimensionally structured arrays is generalized for the synthesis of nanocomposite materials. In this model, the properties and structure of a system are determined by dyna mic interplay among ion-pair inorganic and organic species, so that di fferent phases can be readily obtained through small variations of con trollable synthesis parameters, including mixture composition and temp erature. Nucleation, growth, and phase transitions may be directed by the charge density, coordination, and steric requirements of the inorg anic and organic species at the interface and not necessarily by a pre formed structure. A specific example is presented in which organic mol ecules in the presence of multiply charged silicate oligomers self-ass emble into silicatropic liquid crystals. The organization of these sil icate-surfactant mesophases is investigated with and without interfaci al silicate condensation to separate the effects of self-assembly from the kinetics of silicate polymerization.