Small-angle scattering study of aqueous gels of sodium lithocholate

Gel-like aqueous solutions of sodium lithocholate (NaLC) have been studied by neutron and X-ray small-angle scattering techniques. Evidence for the existence of fibrillar aggregates is presented. In a 0.48% NaLC sample, the diameter of the rod-like structures is ca. 650 Angstrom. The scattering patterns, which can be anisotropic, are unusual when compared with those of other low-molecular-weight gelators and exhibit several strikingly well defined intensity oscillations. The scattering features are interpreted tentatively in terms of helical configurations and/or lyotropic organisations in the heterogeneous network of the gel-like materials.