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Updated: Aug 14, 2026

Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets
Published on: May 15, 2017
Spontaneous and reversible switch from amphiphilic to oil-like structures
Frédéric Pincet1, David Tareste, Martine Ben Amar
1Laboratoire de Physique Statistique de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure, UMR8550, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et Universités Paris 6 et 7, 24, rue Lhomond, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France.
Abstract:
Current theories assume that the amphiphilicity of biological membranes is always preserved. We observed that two hydrogen-bonding lipid layers in contact can spontaneously and reversibly lose their amphiphilic structure and turn into an assembly of oily complexes. This result opens a new angle for understanding the reorganization of lipids during membrane fusion, since similar complexes could fill the troubling hydrophobic voids displayed in the current models. The unique tribological properties described here may also find application in the development of novel nanolubricants.
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