Structures in Surfactant Solutions Association Colloids

The colloidal structures we examine in this chapter are formed as a result of physical interactions among amphipathic molecules, rather than by covalent bonding. This sort of physical association has been recognized for a long time, although contemporary students may be relatively (or totally ) unaware of it. It is interesting to note that in the early days of polymer chemistry, macromolecules were believed to be physically associated rather than covalently bonded structures. The birth of modern polymer chemistry can be traced to the acceptance of the covalent character of these substances. Associated structures do exist, however, and we see by the end of this chapter that their investigation is a very lively area of chemical research. 

In the last couple of decades one important insight has triggered a tremendous upsurge of interest in surfactant structures. This is the recognition that these structures may mimic biological structures in some ways. Enzymes, for example, are protein molecules into which a 

VIGNETTE VIII SEPARATION PROCESSES BASED ON MICELLAR ENCAPSULATION  

Some of the topics we discuss in this chapter are essential for understanding processes such as MEUF. The same ideas can also be used for other separation processes (e.g., protein separation in reverse micelles) and in genetic engineering, as mentioned in Vignette 1.3 in Chapter 1. We also see in this chapter other applications such as using micelles as microreactors, i.e., using the unique environment inside micelles for catalysis and material synthesis. 

As mentioned above, the bulk of this chapter is concerned with the simplest of the surfactant aggregates that form in solution, namely, micelles. There is plenty to focus on in this respect, and the material is already very complex. 

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