Reentrant structural phase transition in amphiphilic self-assembly

Abstract

Amphiphilic molecules can self-assemble into a variety of aggregates and mesophases. Yet, predictions of phase transitions are not always met. In this communication, we demonstrate a novel structural phase transition of amphiphilic molecules, quillaja saponin/cholesterol, and discuss the relevance of precursors for forming hierarchical structures. In contrast to the standard sphero-cylinder model, we highlight a three-stage dynamic process of reentrant phase transition induced by cholesterol. It is expected that the obtained results would be helpful to rationalize the rich phase behavior exhibited by surfactant–cosurfactant systems, and to engineer complex nanoarchitectures with tunable size and shape and well-defined biological functions.