A reverse micellar mesophase of face-centered cubic Fm3m symmetry in phosphatidylcholine/water/organic solvent ternary systems

Langmuir. 2013 Dec 23;29(51):15805-12. doi: 10.1021/la404307x. Epub 2013 Dec 13.

Abstract

We report the formation of a reverse micellar cubic mesophase of symmetry Fm3m (Q(225)) in ternary mixtures of soy bean phosphatidylcholine (PC), water, and an organic solvent, including cyclohexane, (R)-(+)-limonene, and isooctane, studied by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and oscillatory shear rheology at room temperature. The mesophase structure consists of a compact packing of remarkably large reverse micelles in a face-centered cubic (fcc) lattice, a type of micellar packing not yet reported for reverse micellar mesophases. Form factor fitting in the pure L2 phase and in the Fm3m-L2 coexistence region yields quantitative estimations of the PC interface rigidity. The compact Fm3m structure results mainly from release of lipid tail frustration and hard-sphere interactions between monodisperse micelles, as suggested by a comparison with the Fd3m structure found in the PC/water/α-tocopherol system.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Micelles*
  • Organic Chemicals / chemistry*
  • Phosphatidylcholines / chemistry*
  • Solvents / chemistry*
  • Surface Properties
  • Water / chemistry*

Substances

  • Micelles
  • Organic Chemicals
  • Phosphatidylcholines
  • Solvents
  • Water