Self-Assembly at Solid-Liquid Interfaces q Johnson, R. A. and R. Nagarajan. Modeling Self-Assembly of Surfactants at Solid-Liquid Interfaces: I. Hydrophobic Surfaces. Colloids and Surfaces A.  Physicochem. Eng. Aspects 167, 31-46 (2000). q Johnson, R. A. and R. Nagarajan. Modeling Self-Assembly of Surfactants at Solid-Liquid Interfaces: II. Hydrophilic Surfaces. Colloids and Surfaces A.  Physicochem. Eng. Aspects 167, 21-30 (2000).
Back to Publications
Observed Surfactant Aggregate Structures on Hydrophobic Solid Surfaces
Schematic representation of the structures of surfactant aggregates on a hydrophobic surface. The structures formed include hemispherical aggregates (a), hemicylindrical aggregates (b), and hemi-oblate ellipsoid aggregates (c). Continuous monolayers are not shown in this figure.
Surfactant Aggregate Structures on Oppositely Charged Hydrophilic Solid Surfaces Suggested in Literature (left) and Predicted by Theory (right)
The structures suggested include (a) spherical aggregates, (b) cylindrical aggregates and (c) laterally homogeneous bilayers. The structures are similar to those formed in bulk solution.	Each structure is composed of a monolayer oriented with the surfactant head groups in contact with the surface as the base, topped with hemispheres (a), hemicylinders (b), and a second monolayer with opposite orientation (c).