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Coacervate formation from natural glycolipid: one acetyl group on the headgroup triggers coacervate-to-vesicle
T Imura1, H Yanagishita, D Kitamoto
1Research Institute for Green Technology, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba Central 5-2, Higashi 1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8565, Japan.
Abstract:
Coacervate (L3 phase) formation of the single component "natural" glycoliped biosurfactant, MEL-A, was observed for the first time by using an optical microscope, a confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM), and a freeze-fracture electron microscope (FF-TEM). It was also found that only a slight decrease in spontaneous curvature resulting from the absence of one acetyl group on the headgroup induced a drastic morphological change in the 3D self-assembled structure from coacervates (L3 phase) to ordered vesicles (Lalpha phase).
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