Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 9, 2026

08:15
Self-Assembly of Gamma-Modified Peptide Nucleic Acids into Complex Nanostructures in Organic Solvent Mixtures
Published on: June 26, 2020
Nonpolar gemini amphiphiles self-assemble into stacked layers of nano-objects
Caroline de Gracia Lux1, Marie Pierre Krafft
1Systèmes Organisés Fluorés à Finalités Thérapeutiques (SOFFT), Université de Strasbourg, Institut Charles Sadron (CNRS), 23 rue du Loess, 67034 Strasbourg Cedex 2, France.
Chemistry (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany)
|September 8, 2010
Abstract:
Fluorine in bloom: A nonpolar fluorocarbon/hydrocarbon tetrablock self-assembles into a first monolayer consisting of an array of densely packed discrete circular surface micelles (dark); this layer is surmounted by a second layer of such nano-objects (light).
Related Concept Videos
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...
Colloids
Children at play often make suspensions such as mixtures of mud and water, flour and water, or a suspension of solid pigments in water known as tempera paint. These suspensions are heterogeneous mixtures composed of relatively large particles that are visible to the naked eye or can be seen with a magnifying glass. They are cloudy, and the suspended particles settle out after mixing. On the other hand, a solution is a homogeneous mixture in which no settling occurs and in which the dissolved...
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)...
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)...

