Fluorinated amphiphiles, monolayers

The extensive studies of the behavior of mixed monolayers or bilayers of di-acetylenic lipids and other amphiphiles parallel to some degree the studies of dienoyl-substituted amphiphiles. Since the dienoyl lipids do not contain a rigid diacetylenic group in the middle of the hydrophobic chains, they tend to be miscible with other lipids over a wide range of temperatures and compositions. In order to decrease the lipid miscibility of certain dienoyl amphiphiles, Ringsdorf and coworkers utilized the well-known insolubility of hydrocarbons and fluorocarbons. Thus two amphiphiles were prepared, one with hydrocarbon chains and the other with fluorocarbon chains, in order to reduce their ability to mix with one another in the bilayer. Of course it is necessary to demonstrate that the lipids form a mixed lipid bilayer rather than independent structures. Elbert et al. used freeze fracture electron microscopy to demonstrate that a molar mixture of 95% DM PC and 5% of a fluorinated amphiphile formed phase-separated mixed bilayers [39]. Electron micrographs showed extensive regions of the ripple phase (Pb phase) of the DM PC and occasional smooth patches that were attributed to the fluorinated lipid. In some instances it is possible to... 

Fluorocarbons and fluorinated amphiphiles have found a variety of applications in materials science and medicine [1-5]. As many of these applications involve colloidal systems stabilized by a monolayer of fluorinated amphiphiles, it is essential to understand the structure and properties of these interfacial films. Such knowledge can provide improved control over the engineering and properties of highly fluorinated colloids and interfaces [6]. 

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