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The shape and size of a micelle are a function of the molecular geometry of its surfactant molecules and solution conditions such as surfactant concentration, temperature, pH, and ionic strength. The process of forming micelles is known as micellisation and forms part of the phase behaviour of many lipids according to their polymorphism. [5]
Ionic micelles are typically very affected by the salt concentration. In ionic micelles the monomers are typically fully ionized, but the high electric field strength at the surface of the micelles will cause adsorption of some proportion of the free counter-ions.
A monomer is dispersed or emulsified in a solution of surfactant and water, forming relatively large droplets in water. Excess surfactant creates micelles in the water. Small amounts of monomer diffuse through the water to the micelle. A water-soluble initiator is introduced into the water phase where it reacts with monomer in the micelles.
Note 1: Usually the chain-ends are ions, although ions can also be located ionic on the monomer molecules, as in an activated-monomer polymerization. Note 2: The ions may also be present in the form of higher aggregates that usually are less reactive than non-aggregated species. Modified from the earlier definition. [1]
Cross-section view of the structures that can be formed by biological amphiphiles in aqueous solutions. Unlike this illustration, micelles are usually formed by non-biological, single-chain, amphiphiles, soaps or detergents, since it is difficult to fit two chains into this shape
The anionic character of the sulfate groups of SDS causes the surfactant and micelles to have electrophoretic mobility that is counter to the direction of the strong electroosmotic flow. As a result, the surfactant monomers and micelles migrate quite slowly, though their net movement is still toward the cathode. [3]
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Molecular self-assembly is a key concept in supramolecular chemistry. [6] [7] [8] This is because assembly of molecules in such systems is directed through non-covalent interactions (e.g., hydrogen bonding, metal coordination, hydrophobic forces, van der Waals forces, pi-stacking interactions, and/or electrostatic) as well as electromagnetic interactions.