Self-assembled systems are generally highly dynamic structures characterized by continuous exchange of molecules and fluctuations that may lead to structural transitions upon external influence. Examples include micelles formed by synthetic surfactants and block copolymers as well as lipid membranes and protein complexes found in nature. Despite their importance in technological and biomedical applications, the kinetic pathways associated with the formation and molecular transport of such self-assembled nanostructures are generally poorly understood. Time-resolved small-angle X-ray/neutron scattering (TR-SAXS/SANS) is powerful technique that allow non-equilibrium kinetic processes such as nucleation processes and morphological transitions to be followed with structural resolution over time scales starting from a few milliseconds. Neutrons have the additional advantage of facile contrast variation through H/D substitution schemes, which also allow equilibrium processes such as molecular exchange and diffusion to be studied without perturbation.<br/>In this presentation we will address the basic molecular mechanisms behind kinetic processes found in surfactant and block copolymer micelles. We will address both equilibrium and non-equilibrium kinetics and argue that the understanding of kinetic pathways can be utilized to manipulate and design the physical properties of self-assembled systems. Furthermore, we shall discuss the role of confinement and crystallinity on the stability and molecular transport processes in micelles and discuss the relevance to biological systems and biomedical applications.

Kinetic pathways of self-assembled systems by time-resolved small-angle scattering techniques

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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