Formation and stability of micelles and vesicles

Recent studies on the self-assembly of novel catanionic, bolaform and gemini surfactants provide evidence that the Israelachvili packing parameter approach can often be successfully used to predict the morphology of surfactant aggregates on the basis of the geometrical properties of the surfactant molecules. Furthermore, combined theoretical and experimental efforts have provided a consistent picture of the requirements for spontaneous vesicle formation which, in addition to a favorable packing parameter of the individual surfactant molecules, calls for a nonideal mixing of the bilayer components in order to provide the bilayer with a nonzero spontaneous curvature.