SUPRAMOLECULAR ASSEMBLIES FROM SINGLE-CHAIN PERFLUOROALKYLATED PHOSPHORYLATED AMPHIPHILES

We report here that a diversity of organized supramolecular systems of various shapes and structures, including vesicles, fibers and globules, can be formed from dispersions of single-chain perfluoroalkylated phosphocholine derivatives and dimorpholinophosphoramidates, The formation of these various aggregates can be controlled by regulating the amount of energy provided to the system. This highly versatile aggregation behavior of the fluorinated amphiphiles is in marked contrast to that of the hydrogenated analogs which only form micelles. The fluorinated aggregates have been characterized by transmission electron microscopy after freeze-fracture or negative staining and by optical microscopy. Their size has been assessed by laser light scattering spectroscopy.