SUPRAMOLECULAR ASSEMBLIES FROM SINGLE-CHAIN PERFLUOROALKYLATED PHOSPHORYLATED AMPHIPHILES

We report here that a diversity of organized supramolecular systems of various shapes and structures, including vesicles, fibers and globule s, can be formed from dispersions of single-chain perfluoroalkylated p hosphocholine derivatives and dimorpholinophosphoramidates, The format ion of these various aggregates can be controlled by regulating the am ount of energy provided to the system. This highly versatile aggregati on behavior of the fluorinated amphiphiles is in marked contrast to th at of the hydrogenated analogs which only form micelles. The fluorinat ed aggregates have been characterized by transmission electron microsc opy after freeze-fracture or negative staining and by optical microsco py. Their size has been assessed by laser light scattering spectroscop y.