Nanotubes Self-Assembled from Amphiphilic Molecules via Helical Intermediates

A study is conducted to demonstrate how nanotubes are self-assembled from amphiphilic molecules via helical intermediates. It is demonstrated that such self-organized amphiphilic lipid assemblies have a variety of purposes including their roles as integral components of the cell wall, the cytoskeleton, and cellular organelles. It is demonstrated that relieving some of this potential for molecular packing problems in obtaining highly curved nanotubes is the ordered nature of the packing itself, with molecular orientation constant in the ribbon-like structure. It has also been demonstrated that bilayer aggregated amphiphiles in aqueous systems exist in several lyotropic and thermotropic mesomorphic phases. The macrostructure of such lipid assemblies remains set by the thermodynamics of the system, which favor spherical structures such as vesicles in the absence of other forces.