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In this work, metal ion-induced viscoelastic wormlike micelles in anionic/zwitterionic surfactant solutions (sodium dodecylsulfate/tetradecyldimethylammoniumpropanesulfonate, SDS/TPS) are reported. Steady and dynamic rheology and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) are employed to characterize wormlike micelles in the SDS/TPS/Ca(NO(3))(2) system. Moreover, the surfactant mixing ratio and surfactant tail length are varied to reveal the factors that influence wormlike micelle growth and solution viscoelasticity. A series of metal ions such as Na(+), Mg(2+), Zn(2+), and Al(3+) are proven to promote viscoelastic wormlike micelle formation in the SDS/TPS system. The metal-containing wormlike micelles are expected to be good candidates for directing the synthesis of inorganic nanomaterials. In this article, dendritic silver nanostructures have been prepared in the surfactant wormlike micelle by in situ UV irradiation for the first time.

Artificial peptide self-assembly is an appealing research subject which has been demonstrated to be a reliable approach to create hierarchical nanostructures and biomaterials. In this paper, a dipeptideamphiphile incorporated with an azobenzene moiety is synthesized, which are found to self-assemble into well-defined laminated nanoribbons as well as macroscopic hydrogel. The nanoribbons are formed by nanofibers aligning in nearly lamellar arrays. The driving force of dipeptide self-assembly is proposed to be a synergic effect of hydrophobic interaction, aromatic packing, and hydrogen bond. The addition of NaCl is found to promote hydrogelation and nanoribbon formation. Finally photoisomerization of the azobenzene group is utilized to rationally control dipeptide self-assembly and hydrogel formation by remote light input.

The phase behavior as well as the microstructures of the cationic gemini surfactant and anionic conventional surfactant aqueous two-phase system (ASTP) have been studied. The ASTP formation can be attributed to the coexistence of different kinds of aggregates in the upper and lower phases. The effects of temperature, shearing, surfactant concentration and mixing molar ratio on the phase separation of the ASTP-forming systems are systematically investigated. The ASTP can be destroyed by applying shear and increasing temperature. In this process, the lamellar structures (flat bilayers) in the ASTP are transformed into vesicles. Variation of surfactant structure also affects the phase behavior and the aggregates transformation. Appropriate molecular packing is crucial for the formation of ASTP.

Temperature-controlled vesicle aggregation was investigated in a catanionic surfactant system of sodium n-dodecyl sulfate/n-dodecyltributylammonium bromide. Vesicle aggregation took place as the temperature reached the critical value (Tc). Tc can be adjusted by the variations of the total surfactant concentration and the mixed molar ratio. It was also found that the temperature variation above Tc can greatly influence the vesicle aggregation rate. The vesicle aggregation process was irreversible as long as T >/= Tc, whereas the vesicle disaggregation process occurred only below Tc.