Micelle centre

Other interesting examples of the organized molecular structures used to increase the quantum yield of charge photoseparation are micelles and vesicles. Micelles represent aggregates of surfactant molecules, one end of which is hydrophobic and the other hydrophilic. On reaching a certain critical concentration in a solution, these molecules group into spherical formations in which either the hydrophilic ends of the molecules are turned towards the micelle centre while their hydrophobic ends form its surface or vice versa. Micelles of the former type are usually formed in non-polar solvents and those of the latter type in polar solvents. The micelle is schematically represented in Fig. 1(d). 

Diffusion is intricately linked with all aspects of the radical-pair mechanism. The CIDNP kinetics for the reaction of a sensitizer with a large spherical molecule that has only a small reactive spot on its surface were studied theoretically. This situation is t)qjical for protein CIDNP, where only three amino acids are readily polarizable, and where such a polarizable amino acid must be exposed to the bulk solution to be able to react with a photoexcited dye. Goez and Heun carried out Monte Carlo simulations of diffusion for radical ion pairs both in homogeneous phase and in micelles. The advantage of this approach compared to numerical solutions of the diffusion equation is that it can easily accommodate arbitrary boundary conditions, such as non-spherical symmetry, as opposed to the commonly used "model of the microreactor" ° where a diffusive excursion starts at the micelle centre and one radical is kept fixed there. 

The illumination of TMB in the presence of electron acceptors with different j-values yields TMB radical cations with different quantum yields and consumption of the spin label. The highest quantum yield was obtained with j = 10 and especially with j = 16. This was explained in terms of TMB location in the hydrophobic region of the micelle asymmetrically to the electron acceptor molecule. However, another interpretation is possible as the stearic acid molecule does not coincide in the number of carbon atoms with the micelle-forming surfactant, one can assume that the carbon atom C-13 is located near the end of the methyl groups of the surfactant, i.e. near the centre of the micelle. In this case the results of Bales and Kevan show that TMB molecules are located inside the micelle symmetrically with the photoionization probabihty maximum near the third carbon atom from the micelle centre. Anyway, TMB molecules are located in hydrophobic nuclei of the micelles. The important... 

Figures 7-9 display results for a spherical micelle containing 78 G-(CH2)nCH3 amphiphiles (G is a model headgroup) at 35 °C. These conditions are chosen to mirror a recent neutron diffraction study [11]. The model spherical micelle core has a radius of 18.4 A, which implies the existence of a hole at the centre of the micelle with a volume of 21 A or 40% of the volume of a CH3 group. Of course, real micelles exist in an equilibrium distribution of shapes, and all nonspherical shapes have some parts of the micelle surface nearer to the micelle centre than for a sphere of the same volume. Even very small deviations away...

Figure B3.6.4. Illustration of tliree structured phases in a mixture of amphiphile and water, (a) Lamellar phase the hydrophilic heads shield the hydrophobic tails from the water by fonning a bilayer. The amphiphilic heads of different bilayers face each other and are separated by a thin water layer, (b) Hexagonal phase tlie amphiphiles assemble into a rod-like structure where the tails are shielded in the interior from the water and the heads are on the outside. The rods arrange on a hexagonal lattice, (c) Cubic phase amphiphilic micelles with a hydrophobic centre order on a BCC lattice.

Extensive discussions have focused on the conformation of the alkyl chains in the interior ". It has been has demonstrated that the alkyl chains of micellised surfactant are not fully extended. Starting from the headgroup, the first two or three carbon-carbon bonds are usually trans, whereas gauche conformations are likely to be encountered near the centre of tlie chain ". As a result, the methyl termini of the surfactant molecules can be located near the surface of the micelle, and have even been suggested to be able to protrude into the aqueous phase "". They are definitely not all gathered in the centre of tire micelle as is often suggested in pictorial representations. NMR studies have indicated that the hydrocarbon chains in a micelle are highly mobile, comparable to the mobility of a liquid alkane ... 

Figure 4.5. Expansion of a micelle by inclusion of a hydrophobic guest into the hydrophobic interior of the micelles. The guest is hydrophobic, and thus does not like heing in water. The interior of the micelle is similarly water-repellent, and thus is a much more comfortahle environment for the guest. The incorporation of the guest into the centre of the micelle causes an expansion, which in turn leads to larger pores in the resultant material.

Figure 11.8 Formation of ordered nanoparticles of metal from diblock copolymer micelles, (a) Diblock copolymer (b) metal salt partition to centres of the polymer micelles (c) deposition of micelles at a surface (d) micelle removal and reduction of oxide to metal, (e) AFM image of carbon nanotubes and cobalt catalyst nanoparticles after growth (height scale, 5 nm scan size, lxl pm). [Part (e) reproduced from Ref. 47].

For the mechanism of azolide hydrolysis under specific conditions like, for example, in micelles,[24] in the presence of cycloamyloses,[25] or transition metals,[26] see the references noted and the literature cited therein. Thorough investigation of the hydrolysis of azolides is certainly important for studying the reactivity of those compounds in chemical and biochemical systems.[27] On the other hand, from the point of view of synthetic chemistry, interest is centred instead on die potential for chemical transformations e.g., alcoholysis to esters, aminolysis to amides or peptides, acylation of carboxylic acids to anhydrides and of peroxides to peroxycarboxylic acids, as well as certain C-acylations and a variety of other preparative applications. 

Phospholipids are amphiphilic substances i.e. their molecules contain both hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups. Above a certain concentration level, amphiphilic substances with one ionized or polar and one strongly hydrophobic group (e.g. the dodecylsulphate or cetyltrimethylammonium ions) form micelles in solution these are, as a rule, spherical structures with hydrophilic groups on the surface and the inside filled with the hydrophobic parts of the molecules (usually long alkyl chains directed radially into the centre of the sphere). Amphiphilic substances with two hydrophobic groups have a tendency to form bilayer films under suitable conditions, with hydrophobic chains facing one another. Various methods of preparation of these bilayer lipid membranes (BLMs) are demonstrated in Fig. 6.10. 

Usually the discussion of the ODT of highly asymmetric block copolymers in the strong segregation limit starts from a body-centred cubic (bcc) array of the minority phase. Phase transitions were calculated using SOFT accounting for both the translational entropy of the micelles in a disordered micelle regime and the intermicelle free energy [129]. Results indicate that the ODT occurs between ordered bcc spheres and disordered micelles. 

Instead of the familiar sequence of morphologies, a broad multiphase window centred at relatively high concentrations (ca. 50-70% block copolymer) truncates the ordered lamellar regime. At higher epoxy concentrations wormlike micelles and eventually vesicles at the lowest compositions are observed. Worm-like micelles are found over a broad composition range (Fig. 67). This morphology is rare in block copolymer/homopolymer blends [202] but is commonly encountered in the case of surfactant solutions [203] and mixtures of block copolymers with water and other low molecular weight diluents [204,205]. 

Most examples discussed so far made use of amorphous inorganic supports or sol-gel processed hybrid polymers. Highly disperse materials have recently become accessible via standard processes and, as a result, materials with various controlled particle size, pore diameter are now available. Micelle-templated synthesis of inorganic materials leads to mesoporous materials such as MCM-41, MCM-48, MSU, and these have been extensively used as solid supports for catalysis [52]. Modifications of the polarity of the material can increase the reactivity of the embedded centre, or can decrease its susceptibility to deactivation. In rare cases, enhanced stereo- or even... 

We call the centre of the concentration range the critical micelle concentration (CMC). As an over-simplification, we say the solution has no colloidal micelles below the CMC, but effectively all the monomer exists as micelles above the CMC. As no micelles exist below the CMC, a solution of monomer is clear - like the solution of dilute soap in the bath. But above the CMC, micelles form in solution and impart a turbid aspect owing to Tyndall light scattering. This latter situation corresponds to washing the face in a sink. 

Non-spherical micelles of poly(ethylene)(PE)-poly(ethylene-propylene)(PEP) in decane are self-assembhng in the form of extended platelets that have a crystalline PE-core and a planar PEP brush on both sides. Due to the large size of the platelets the centre of mass diffusion is extremely slow and allows a clear separation of the density fluctuation in the brush. NSE experiments [301] have been analysed in terms of the model of de Gennes [300]. The friction coefficient and modulus of the brush were found to be similar to those of a typical gel. 

Figure 3.20 Illustration ofthe structure of a micelle in aqueous solution, showing three arrangements tails overlapping at the centre (a), water penetrating the core (b), and chain protrusion and bendingto correct the deficiencies ofthe first two arrangements (c). From Hiemenz and Rajagopalan [13]. Copyright 1997, Dekker.

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