CAN SINGLE-CHAIN PERFLUOROALKYLATED AMPHIPHILES ALONE FORM VESICLES AND OTHER ORGANIZED SUPRAMOLECULAR SYSTEMS

Yes indeed, and without resorting to steric effects or intermolecular interactions, is the answer to the question in the title. With the amp hiphile 1, organized systems such as stacked bilayers, vesicles (pictu re shown right), globules, and long fibers can be formed, depending on the conditions of preparation. As the comparison with the hydrocarbon analogue of 1 shows, this result is attributed exclusively to hydroph obic interactions in the surfacant layer. C8F17C2H4OP(O)2-OC2H4N+(CH3) 3 1