Hybrid Surfactant Systems with Inorganic Constituents

Surfactants are molecules of enormous scientific and technological importance, which are widely used as detergents, emulsifiers, and for the preparation of diverse nanostructures. Their fascinating ability to form self‐organized structures, such as micelles or liquid crystals, originate from their a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2014-01, Vol.53 (4), p.946-954
Main Authors: Polarz, Sebastian, Landsmann, Steve, Klaiber, Alexander
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
amphiphiles
Chains
colloid chemistry
Drug delivery systems
Emulsifiers
Hybrid systems
Liquid crystals
Magnetism
Nanostructure
polyoxometalates
self-organization
supramolecular chemistry
Surfactants
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Summary:Surfactants are molecules of enormous scientific and technological importance, which are widely used as detergents, emulsifiers, and for the preparation of diverse nanostructures. Their fascinating ability to form self‐organized structures, such as micelles or liquid crystals, originate from their amphiphilic architecture—a polar head group linked to a hydrophobic chain. While almost all known surfactants are organic, a new family of surfactants is now emerging, which combines amphiphilic properties with the advanced functionality of transition‐metal building blocks, for example, redox or catalytic activity and magnetism. These hybrid surfactants exhibit novel self‐organization features because of the unique size and electronic properties of the metal‐containing entities. Surf′s up! Most surfactants are organic and contain a polar head group linked to a hydrophobic chain. However, the amphiphilic properties can be combined with the advanced functionality of transition‐metal building blocks to give a new family of surfactants that have synergistic properties, and may lead to potential applications in catalysis, drug delivery, and smart materials.
ISSN:1433-7851
1521-3773
DOI:10.1002/anie.201303159