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Updated: Jul 16, 2026

Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets
Published on: May 15, 2017
Heat-induced phase transitions from an aqueous solution to precipitates in a poly(sodium
Yi Li1, Dujin Wang, Zhengping Hao
1Key Laboratory of Colloid and Interface Chemistry, Shandong University, Ministry of Education, Jinan 250100, P.R. China.
Abstract:
For the first time, temperature-induced phase transitions upon heating and cooling an aqueous solution that contained oppositely charged polyelectrolyte and surfactant mixtures was observed. The phase transition from micelles to vesicles, then to the coexistence of vesicles and superstructures that have the morphology of melon seeds, and finally to precipitates was determined by means of turbidity measurements and transmission electron microscopy images. These phase transitions were shown to be reversible and reproducible after several heating and cooling cycles were performed on the same sample. The novel observations for the temperature-induced phase transition from primary aggregates, such as micelles, to superstructures (i.e., vesicles) should provide new understanding for surfactant sciences, and in particular for self-assembled amphiphilic systems.
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