Langmuir, Vol.32, No.42, 10920-10927, 2016
Maximizing Headgroup Repulsion: Hybrid Surfactants with Ultrahighly Charged Inorganic Heads and Their Unusual Self-Assembly
Nonequilibrium states of matter are arousing huge interest because of the outstanding possibilities to generate unprecedented structures with novel properties. Self organizing soft matter is the ideal object of study as it unifies periodic order and high dynamics. Compared to settled systems, it becomes vital to realize more complex interaction patterns. A promising and intricate approach is implementing controlled balance between attractive and repulsive forces. We try to answer a fundamental question in surfactant science: How are processes like lyotropic liquid crystals and micellization affected, when headgroup charge becomes so large that repulsive interactions are inevitable? A particular challenge is that size and shape of the surfactant must not change. We could realize the latter by means of new hybrid surfactants with a heteropolyanion head [EW11O39](n-) (E = P-V, Si-IV, B-III; n = 3, 4, 5). Among the unusual self-assembled structures, we report a new type of micelle with dumbbell morphology.