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Updated: May 16, 2026
09:47
Facile Preparation of Internally Self-assembled Lipid Particles Stabilized by Carbon Nanotubes
Published on: February 19, 2016
Solvent nanostructure, the solvophobic effect and amphiphile self-assembly in ionic liquids
Tamar L Greaves1, Calum J Drummond
1CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering, Bag 10, Clayton VIC 3169, Australia. tamar.greaves@csiro.au
Chemical Society Reviews
|November 21, 2012
Summary
Ionic liquids (ILs) are effective media for amphiphile self-assembly, forming liquid crystal phases. Their nanostructure, cohesive energy density, and solvophobic effects predict their solvent properties for self-assembly.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Supramolecular Chemistry
- Physical Chemistry
Background:
- Ionic liquids (ILs) are increasingly recognized for their ability to facilitate amphiphile self-assembly.
- A wide range of ILs have demonstrated capacity to support lyotropic liquid crystal phase formation.
- Many neat ILs exhibit intrinsic nanostructuring, segregating into polar and non-polar domains.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the role of ionic liquids as media for amphiphile self-assembly.
- To identify key trends predicting the efficacy of ILs as self-assembly solvents.
- To explore the relationship between IL nanostructure and self-assembly promotion.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on ionic liquids and amphiphile self-assembly.
- Analysis of the correlation between IL nanostructure and solvent properties.
- Investigation of trends related to cohesive energy density and solvophobic effects.
Main Results:
- A strong correlation exists between the nanostructure of an ionic liquid and its performance as a self-assembly solvent.
- Specific trends, including nanostructure, cohesive energy density, and solvophobic effects, can predict IL self-assembly promotion.
- The majority of evaluated ILs successfully supported some form of lyotropic liquid crystal phase formation.
Conclusions:
- Ionic liquids are versatile media for creating diverse mesophase structures through amphiphile self-assembly.
- Understanding IL nanostructure and solvent properties is crucial for selecting effective self-assembly media.
- Future research is expected to identify a broader range of ILs with excellent amphiphile self-assembly promotion capabilities.
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