Non-equilibrium pathways of lyotropic phase transitions such as the lamellar to inverse bicontinuous cubic phase transition are important dynamical processes resembling cellular fusion and fission processes which can be exploited in biotechnological processes such as drug delivery. However, utilising and optimising these structural transformations for applications require a detailed understandi...

The acyl chain of spin-labeled fatty acids intercalates between the lipid hydrocarbon chains in hexagonal and micellar phases with the carboxyl group anchored at the lipid water interface. The spectra are characteristic of anisotropic motion and cannot be distinguished from the spectra of these probes in lamellar dispersions. In the hexagonal and micellar phases the molecular motion of the spin...

The self-consistent field theory (SCFT) complemented with the Poisson-Boltzmann equation is employed to explore self-assembly of polyelectrolyte copolymers composed of charged blocks A and neutral blocks B. We have extended SCFT to dissociating triblock copolymers and demonstrated our approach on three characteristic examples: (1) diblock copolymer (AB) melt, (2) symmetric triblock copolymer (A...

The phase behavior of the diene lipid 1,2-bis(11,13-tetradecadienoyl)-sn-glycero-3-phosphorylethanolamine (DTDPE) and the corresponding phosphatidylcholine analogue (DTDPC) has been studied as a function of temperature (T) and relative humidity (RH) by means of infrared (IR) dichroism measurements. Lamellar/ nonlamellar and solid/fluid phase transitions of lipid films spread on an ATR crystal a...

As part of a wider study into high internal phase emulsions, we have prepared and studied by SANS and USANS the structure of an unstable emulsion consisting of 90% by volume saturated ammonium nitrate dispersed as micron-scale droplets in hexadecane, stabilised by the surfactant Pluronic L92. Similar emulsions produced using polyisobutylene-based surfactants, reported earlier, are highly stabil...

The morphology and the phase diagram of ABC triblock copolymer thin film directed by polymer brushes are investigated by the self-consistent field theory in three dimensions. The polymer brushes coated on the substrate can be used as a good soft template to tailor the morphology of the block copolymer thin films compared with those on the hard substrates. The polymer brush is identical with the...

The first three-dimensional simulation of shear-induced phase transitions in a polymeric system has been performed. The method is based on dynamic density-functional theory. The pathways between a bicontinuous phase with developing gyroid mesostructure and a lamellar/cylinder phase coexistence are investigated for a mixture of flexible triblock ABA-copolymer and solvent under simple steady shea...

Polystyrene sulfonate (PSS 77 kDa) adsorbed onto oppositely charged dioctadecyldimethylammonium bromide (DODA) monolayers at the air/water interface is investigated with X-ray reflectivity and grazing incidence diffraction. The alkyl tails of DODA in the condensed phase form an oblique lattice with large tilts and intermediate azimuth angle. On PSS adsorption, the alkyl tail structure is mainta...