Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Surface Active Agents

Surface Active Agents

Surfactants, named for their behavior at interfaces, positively adsorb at the interfaces of two phases, reducing interfacial tension. Their versatility as emulsifiers, detergents, and foaming agents stems from this ability. Surfactants, often termed amphiphiles, share the property of amphipathy, with molecules having both hydrophilic and hydrophobic portions. The hydrophilic part is called the head, and the hydrophobic part, including an elongated alkyl substituent, forms the tail.Surfactants...

Micelles

Micelles

Micelle formation is an intricate process that hinges on the properties of amphiphilic or amphipathic molecules and the conditions of the system in which they are found. Amphiphilic molecules, which have both hydrophilic (water-attracting) and hydrophobic (water-repelling) parts, play a critical role in this process.In aqueous environments, these molecules arrange themselves such that their hydrophilic heads are turned towards the water phase, while their hydrophobic tails are oriented away...

The Colloidal State

The Colloidal State

The formation of a colloidal system is exemplified by an aqueous solution containing Cl− ions is introduced to another containing Ag+ ions, resulting in the precipitation of solid AgCl as extremely tiny crystals. Instead of settling out as a filterable precipitate, these crystals remain suspended in the liquid, showcasing a colloidal system.A colloidal system involves colloidal particles within the approximate range of 1 to 1000 nm in at least one dimension, dispersed in a medium called the...

Solubility

Solubility

Solution, Solubility, and Solubility Equilibrium
A solution is a homogeneous mixture composed of a solvent, the major component, and a solute, the minor component. The physical state of a solution—solid, liquid, or gas—is typically the same as that of the solvent. Solute concentrations are often described with qualitative terms such as dilute (of relatively low concentration) and concentrated (of relatively high concentration).
In a solution, the solute particles (molecules, atoms, and/or ions)...

Solid–Solid Solutions

Solid–Solid Solutions

The temperature-composition phase diagram of two solids, A and B, which are immiscible in the solid phase but form miscible liquids, shows that when the temperature is low, these two exist as separate, pure solids (A and B). As the temperature increases, they transition into a single-phase liquid solution where A and B coexist. Moving from point a1 to a2 in the phase diagram, the composition changes such that solid B begins to separate from the solution, enriching the remaining liquid with A.

Colloidal precipitates

Colloidal precipitates

The high insolubility of some precipitates can result in an unfavorable relative supersaturation. This can lead to colloidal particles with a large surface-to-mass ratio, where adsorption is promoted. For instance, in the precipitation of silver chloride, silver ions are adsorbed on the surface of the colloidal particles, forming a primary layer. This layer attracts ions of opposite charge (such as nitrate ions), forming a diffuse secondary layer of adsorbed ions. This electric double layer...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Assessment of pH-Responsive Ionisable Lipid Nanoparticles as Cisplatin Delivery Vehicles for Treating Cisplatin-Resistant Ovarian Cancer.

Pharmaceutics·2026

Same author

Exploring Important Features in Continuous Spectral Datasets Using Supervised Learning.

Analytical chemistry·2026

Same author

Aptamer-Loaded Cubosome Lipid Nanoparticles for the Treatment of Tuberculosis.

ACS applied materials & interfaces·2026

Same author

Structure-Function Correlation of Clinically Inspired Lipid Nanoparticles for Lung and Spleen Targeted mRNA Delivery.

Advanced healthcare materials·2025

Same author

Ionizable Lipid Nanoparticles for mRNA Delivery: Internal Self-Assembled Inverse Mesophase Structure and Endosomal Escape.

Accounts of chemical research·2025

Same author

Engineered nanoparticles from egg and milk proteins: A review of aggregation, gelation, colloidal behaviors and delivery systems.

International journal of biological macromolecules·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Facile Preparation of Internally Self-assembled Lipid Particles Stabilized by Carbon Nanotubes

Facile Preparation of Internally Self-assembled Lipid Particles Stabilized by Carbon Nanotubes

Published on: February 19, 2016

Diversifying the solid state and lyotropic phase behavior of nonionic urea-based surfactants.

Celesta Fong¹, Darrell Wells, Irena Krodkiewska

¹CSIRO Molecular & Health Technologies, Bag 10, Clayton South, VIC 3169, Australia. Celesta.fong@csiro.au

The Journal of Physical Chemistry. B

|August 21, 2007

Summary

New nonionic urea surfactants with modified tails and head groups were developed. Four surfactants formed stable liquid crystalline phases at room and physiological temperatures, expanding surfactant self-assembly possibilities.

More Related Videos

Phase Diagram Characterization Using Magnetic Beads as Liquid Carriers

Phase Diagram Characterization Using Magnetic Beads as Liquid Carriers

Published on: September 4, 2015

Studying Surfactant Effects on Hydrate Crystallization at Oil-Water Interfaces Using a Low-Cost Integrated Modular Peltier Device

Studying Surfactant Effects on Hydrate Crystallization at Oil-Water Interfaces Using a Low-Cost Integrated Modular Peltier Device

Published on: March 18, 2020

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Facile Preparation of Internally Self-assembled Lipid Particles Stabilized by Carbon Nanotubes

Facile Preparation of Internally Self-assembled Lipid Particles Stabilized by Carbon Nanotubes

Published on: February 19, 2016

Phase Diagram Characterization Using Magnetic Beads as Liquid Carriers

Phase Diagram Characterization Using Magnetic Beads as Liquid Carriers

Published on: September 4, 2015

Studying Surfactant Effects on Hydrate Crystallization at Oil-Water Interfaces Using a Low-Cost Integrated Modular Peltier Device

Studying Surfactant Effects on Hydrate Crystallization at Oil-Water Interfaces Using a Low-Cost Integrated Modular Peltier Device

Published on: March 18, 2020

Area of Science:

Materials Science
Supramolecular Chemistry
Physical Chemistry

Background:

Nonionic urea-based surfactants are challenging to form into lyotropic liquid crystalline phases due to strong homo-urea interactions.
Modifying hydrocarbon tails and urea head groups can influence surfactant self-assembly and phase behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

To synthesize and characterize 10 new nonionic urea-based surfactants with modified structures.
To investigate the solid-state and lyotropic phase behavior of these novel surfactants.
To establish structure-property correlations for self-assembly in these amphiphiles.

Main Methods:

Synthesis of urea surfactants with isoprenoid (phytanyl, hexahydrofarnesyl) or oleyl hydrocarbon tails.
Modification of urea head groups with hydroxy alkyl moieties or replacement with biuret groups.
Characterization of solid-state transitions (liquid crystal-isotropic liquid, polymorphic, glass) and lyotropic liquid crystalline phases (lamellar, hexagonal, cubic, sponge).

Main Results:

Four modified urea surfactants formed stable lyotropic liquid crystalline phases (Lα, HII, QII) at room and physiological temperatures.
Phytanyl 1,1-HEU and oleyl 1,3-HEU exhibited rich mesomorphism, including unusual LU (inverse sponge) phases.
Structure-property correlations were identified, linking molecular geometry and hydrogen bonding to observed phase behaviors.

Conclusions:

Amelioration of homo-urea interactions through structural modification enables the formation of stable lyotropic liquid crystalline phases.
The novel urea surfactants demonstrate versatile self-assembly capabilities, with potential applications in various fields.
This study provides valuable insights into the design and behavior of nonionic urea-based amphiphiles.