Crystallization is a very important chemical phenomenon that has numerous applications in various fields such as biomineralization, crystal engineering, and the advancement in the production of organic-inorganic hybrid materials that can be used in medicine, and nanotechnology. We report the use of self-assembled monolayers of various monoglycerides at an oil-water interface as templates for the nucleation of crystallizable solutes in microdroplets. Monoglycerides have been shown to have sensitivity to the presence of trace quantities of anionic additives, in a manner dependent upon the chain splay of the hydrocarbon tail of the surfactant. The ability of monoolein, monovaccenin, and monoelaidin to induce crystal nucleation can be enhanced by specific chaotropic anions, while monoglycerides with greater chain splay such as monolinolein are not affected. Our intriguing results demonstrate the flexibility and adaptability of lipid monolayer at the liquid-liquid interface, and sensitivity to the surrounding medium containing various additives.

Adaptability of monoglyceride-templated crystallization at the liquid-liquid interface

248th National Meeting (2014)

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