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micelles

File:Phospholipids_aqueous_solution_structures.svg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

EntityQ421110· pop 41· linked from 247 articles

Also known as micelle

thumb|250px|right|Cross-section view of the structures that can be formed by phospholipids in aqueous solutions (unlike this illustration, micelles are usually formed by single-chain lipids, since it is difficult to fit two chains into this shape) thumb|250px|right|Scheme of a micelle formed by phospholipids in an [[aqueous solution]]

~15 min read

Encyclopedic overview

12 sections
Contents
  • History
  • Solvation
  • Energy of formation
  • Micelle packing parameter
  • Block copolymer micelles
  • Dynamic micelles
  • Kinetically frozen micelles
  • Inverse/reverse micelles
  • Supermicelles
  • Uses
  • See also
  • References

thumb|250px|right|Cross-section view of the structures that can be formed by phospholipids in aqueous solutions (unlike this illustration, micelles are usually formed by single-chain lipids, since it is difficult to fit two chains into this shape) thumb|250px|right|Scheme of a micelle formed by phospholipids in an [[aqueous solution]]

A micelle (; also spelled micell) or micella () ( or micellae, respectively) is an aggregate (or supramolecular assembly) of surfactant amphipathic lipid molecules dispersed in a liquid, forming a colloidal suspension (also known as associated colloidal system). A typical micelle in water forms an aggregate, with the hydrophilic "head" regions in contact with surrounding solvent, sequestering the hydrophobic single-tail regions in the micelle centre.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “micelles” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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