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Hybrid Surfactant Systems with Inorganic Constituents
Author(s) -
Polarz Sebastian,
Landsmann Steve,
Klaiber Alexander
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.201303159
Subject(s) - amphiphile , pulmonary surfactant , micelle , nanotechnology , nanostructure , chemistry , self assembly , transition metal , magnetism , molecule , materials science , catalysis , organic chemistry , chemical engineering , copolymer , polymer , aqueous solution , biochemistry , physics , quantum mechanics , engineering
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.