Aerosol-OT (sodium bis 2-ethylhexyl sulfosuccinate or NaAOT) adsorbs to hydrophilic sapphire solid surfaces. The structure of the formed bilayer has been determined over the concentration range 0.2-7.4 mM NaAOT. It was found that the hydrocarbon tails pack at maximum packing limit at very low concentrations, and that the thickness of the bilayer was concentration-independent. The adsorption was found to increase with concentration, with the surfactant molecules packing closer laterally. The area per molecule was found to change from 138 ± 25 to 51 ± 4 A(2) over the concentration range studied, with the thickness of the layer being constant at 33 ± 2 A. Addition of small amounts of salt was found to increase the surface excess, with the bilayer being thinner with a slightly larger area per molecule. Addition of different salts of the same valency was found to have a very similar effect, as had the addition of NaOH and HCl. Hence, the effects of adding acid or base should be considered an effect of ionic strength rather than an effect of pH. Adsorption of NaAOT to the sapphire surface that carries an opposite charge to the anionic surfactant is similar in many respects to the adsorption reported previously for hydrophilic and hydrophobic silica surfaces. This suggests that the adsorption of NaAOT to a surface is driven primarily by NaAOT self-assembly rather than effects of electrostatic attraction to the interface.

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The adsorption of sodium bis 2-ethylhexyl sulfosuccinate, NaAOT, to a sapphire surface from aqueous solution has been studied by neutron reflection at concentrations above the critical micelle concentration (cmc). Complementary measurements of the bulk structure were made with small-angle neutron scattering and grazing incidence small-angle neutron scattering. At a concentration of about 1% wt (10 × cmc), lamellar phase NaAOT was observed both at the surface and in the bulk. The structure seen at the interface for a solution of 2% wt NaAOT is a 35 ± 2 Å thick bilayer adsorbed to the sapphire surface at maximum packing density, followed by an aligned stack of fluctuating bilayers of thickness 51 ± 2 Å and with an area per molecule of 40 ± 2 Å(2). Each bilayer is separated by a water: at 25 °C, this layer is 148 ± 2 Å. A simple model for the reflectivity from fluctuating layers is presented, and for 2.0% wt NaAOT the fluctuations were found to have an amplitude of 25 ± 5 Å. The temperature sensitivity of the structure at the surface was investigated in the range 15-30 °C. The effect of temperature was pronounced, with the solvent layer becoming thinner and the volume occupied by the NaAOT molecules in a bilayer increasing with temperature. The amplitude of the fluctuations, however, is approximately temperature independent in this range. The adsorption of NaAOT at the sapphire surface resembles that previously found at hydrophilic and hydrophobic silica surfaces. The coexisting bulk lamellar phase has a spacing of layers similar to that observed at the surface. These observations are an indication that the major driving force for adsorption is self-assembly, independent of the chemical nature of the interface.

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An extract from the seeds of the Moringa oleifera tree that is principally a low molecular mass protein is known to be efficient as a coagulating agent for water treatment. The present paper investigates the adsorption of the purified protein to silica interfaces in order to elucidate the mechanism of its function as a flocculent. Neutron reflection permits the determination of the structure and composition of interfacial layers at the solid/solution interface. Dense layers of protein with about 5.5 mg m(-2) were found at concentrations above 0.025% wt. The overall thickness with a dense layer in excess of 60 A at 0.05 wt % suggests strong co-operative binding rather than single isolated molecules. An ionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate, was also seen to coadsorb. This strong adsorption of protein in combination with the tendency for the protein to associate suggests a mechanism for destabilizing particulate dispersions to provide filterable water. This can occur even for the protein that has previously been identified as being of low mass (about 7 kDaltons) and thus is unlikely to be efficient in bridging or depletion flocculation.

Dispersions of cubic liquid crystalline phases, also known as cubosomes, have shown great promise as delivery vehicles for a wide range of medicines. Due to their ordered structure, comprising alternating hydrophilic and hydrophobic domains, cubosomes possess unique delivery properties and compatibility with both water-soluble and -insoluble drugs. However, the drug delivery mechanism and cubosome interaction with human cells and bacteria are still poorly understood. Herein, we reveal how cubosomes loaded with the human cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide LL-37, a system with high bacteria-killing effect, interact with the bacterial membrane and provide new insights into the eradication mechanism. Combining the advanced experimental techniques neutron reflectivity and quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring, a mechanistic drug delivery model for LL-37-loaded cubosomes on bacterial mimicking bilayers was constructed. Moreover, the cubosome interaction with Escherichia coli was directly visualized using super-resolution laser scanning microscopy and cryogenic electron tomography. We could conclude that cubosomes loaded with LL-37 adsorbed and distorted bacterial membranes, providing evidence that the peptide-loaded cubosomes function as an antimicrobial unit.

Changes of scattering are observed as the grazing angle of incidence of an incoming beam increases and probes different depths in samples. A model has been developed to describe the observed intensity in grazing-incidence smallangle neutron scattering (GISANS) experiments. This includes the significant effects of instrument resolution, the sample transmission, which depends on both absorption and scattering, and the sample structure. The calculations are tested with self-organized structures of two colloidal samples with different size particles that were measured on two different instruments. The model allows calculations for various instruments with defined resolution and can be used to design future improved experiments. The possibilities and limits of GISANS for different studies are discussed using the model calculations.

Author(s) of this paper may load this reprint on their own web site or institutional repository provided that this cover page is retained. Republication of this article or its storage in electronic databases other than as specified above is not permitted without prior permission in writing from the IUCr.For further information see http://journals.iucr.org/services/authorrights.html Journal of Applied Crystallography covers a wide range of crystallographic topics from the viewpoints of both techniques and theory. The journal presents papers on the application of crystallographic techniques and on the related apparatus and computer software. For many years, the Journal of Applied Crystallography has been the main vehicle for the publication of small-angle scattering papers and powder diffraction techniques. The journal is the primary place where crystallographic computer program information is published.Crystallography Journals Online is available from journals.iucr.org J. Appl. Cryst. (2013 Measurements of a well-characterized 'standard' sample can verify the performance of an instrument. Typically, small-angle neutron scattering instruments are used to investigate a wide range of samples and may often be used in a number of configurations. Appropriate 'standard' samples are useful to test different aspects of the performance of hardware as well as that of the data reduction and analysis software. Measurements on a number of instruments with different intrinsic characteristics and designs in a round robin can not only better characterize the performance for a wider range of conditions but also, perhaps more importantly, reveal the limits of the current state of the art of small-angle scattering. The exercise, followed by detailed analysis, tests the limits of current understanding as well as uncovering often forgotten assumptions, simplifications and approximations that underpin the current practice of the technique. This paper describes measurements of polystyrene latex, radius 720 Å , with a number of instruments. Scattering from monodisperse, uniform spherical particles is simple to calculate and displays sharp minima. Such data test the calibrations of intensity, wavelength and resolution as well as the detector response. Smoothing due to resolution, multiple scattering and polydispersity has been determined. Sources of uncertainty are often related to systematic deviations and calibrations rather than random counting errors. The study has prompted development of software to treat modest multiple scattering and to better model the instrument resolution. These measurements also allow checks of data reduction algorithms and have identified how they can be improved. The reproducibility and the reliability of instruments and the accuracy of parameters derived from the data are described.