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Dynamics of structural transformations between lamellar and inverse bicontinuous cubic lyotropic phases
Charlotte E Conn1, Oscar Ces, Xavier Mulet
1Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
The liquid crystalline lamellar (L(alpha)) to double-diamond inverse bicontinuous cubic (Q(D)(pi)) phase transition for the amphiphile monoelaidin in excess water exhibits a remarkable sequence of structural transformations for pressure or temperature jumps. Our data imply that the transition dynamics depends on a coupling between changes in molecular shape and the geometrical and topological constraints of domain size. We propose a qualitative model for this coupling based on theories of membrane fusion via stalks and existing knowledge of the structure and energetics of bicontinuous cubic phases.
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