Role of Water in the Formation of Aggregated Structures of Lipids and Surfactants

Abstract

To answer the simple question, i.e., does water have a specific role for the self-assembly of amphiphilic molecules such as lipids and surfactants?, we have investigated the precise hydration states of the amphiphilic molecules and the relation between the state and the formation of the aggregated structures. From the results using THz spectroscopy to measure the hydration states including slightly bound water as the hydration water, it has been found that the long-range hydration states strongly relate to the structural phase transitions (such as micelle to lamellar) and to the interactions between bilayers.