According to the thermodynamic description of micellar formation, micelles always have a distribution in their aggregation number (Nagg). However, we have recently discovered that some calix[4]arene-based surfactants self-assemble into completely monodisperse micelles in terms of Nagg. Interestingly, the Naggs are always consistent with the vertex number of Platonic solids, indicating the formation of polyhedral structures. Then, we named them Platonic micelles. The thermodynamic consideration for the formation of Platonic micelles, which we proposed, suggests that these special properties would be occurred in the system of conventional micelles without calix[4]arene building blocks. To construct Platonic micelles, the micellar Nagg should be small (&lt; 30), which can be achieved by increasing the interfacial area (ae) between hydrophobic and hydrophilic domains. In this study, we have designed and synthesized surfactants bearing polyethylene glycol (PEG) to confer large ae and investigated their aggregation behavior using small angle scattering techniques.

Monodispersity of the micelles composed of polyethylene glycol (PEG)-attached surfactants: Platonic micelles in conventional micelle system

256th National Meeting (2018)

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