Interfaces with Fluorinated Amphiphiles: Superstructures and Microfluidics

Abstract

This Minireview discusses recent developments in research on the interfacial phenomena of fluorinated amphiphiles, with a focus on applications that exploit the unique and manifold interfacial properties associated with these amphiphiles. Most notably, fluorinated amphiphiles form stable aggregates with often distinctly different morphologies compared to their nonfluorinated counterparts. Consequently, fluorinated surfactants have found wide use in high-performance applications such as microfluidic-assisted screening. Additionally, their fluorine-specific behaviour at solid/liquid interfaces, such as the formation of superhydrophobic coatings after deposition on surfaces, will be discussed. As fluorinated surfactants and perfluorinated materials in general pose potential environmental threats, recent developments in their remediation based on their adsorption onto fluorinated surfaces will be evaluated.

Multifunctional Droplets Formed by Interfacially Self-Assembled Fluorinated Magnetic Nanoparticles for Biocompatible Single Cell Culture and Magnet-Driven Manipulation

“…Another challenge of droplet microfluidic technology is the molecule leakage of the reaction from droplets to surrounding oil and neighboring droplets through the micelles formed by the surfactants, especially for the most popular fluorinated surfactant. ,,− This phenomenon averages the products concentrations and homogenizes the signal between droplets, resulting in the cross-contamination and analyte loss. Although several approaches have been proposed to prevent the molecule leakage, such as chemical modification of the hydrophobic molecule into hydrophilic, , there is still a need for further development that can avoid the leakage of small molecules from droplets.…”

Fluorinated dendritic amphiphiles, their stomatosome aggregates and application in enzyme encapsulation

“…Due to their special properties, namely stability and tendency to form lower curvature structures, fluorinated systems have been a subject of interest for applications and to investigate the effect of fluorine on aggregation. [11][12][13][14][15] The stability of these structures can be explained by the perfluorination of the amphiphile tails, due to highly electronegative fluorine, 16 and the stable C-F bond. Perfluorinated moieties have extremely low polarisability, as dipole moments between C and electronegative F cancel each other in perfluorinated chains, 17 making them both hydrophobic and lipophobic and leading to the formation of fluorous domains.…”

Tailored Fluorosurfactants through Controlled/Living Radical Polymerization for Highly Stable Microfluidic Droplet Generation

“…[7] In most cases, the use of surfactants is crucial to prevent coalescence between droplets and stabilize their formation. [8] However, despite its advantages, formulating emulsified droplets with optimal performance for biological applications remains a significant challenge due to the lack of proper surfactants. [9] Fluorosurfactants, also known as fluorinated surfactants, are often dissolved in biologically inert fluorinated oil solvents to create water-in-fluorinated-oil (w/o) emulsions.…”

“…[9] Fluorosurfactants, also known as fluorinated surfactants, are often dissolved in biologically inert fluorinated oil solvents to create water-in-fluorinated-oil (w/o) emulsions. [8] These emulsions have the added benefit of the fluorinated oil's ability to hold dissolved oxygen, making them useful for cell culture and other biological applications. [10] Fluorosurfactants typically consist of a fluorous 'tail' group and a hydrophilic 'head' group, which work together to reduce the surface tension at interfaces between water and oil.…”

“…This approach has enabled innovative research and product development in the fields of chemistry and biology, [2] including applications such as small‐scale organic synthesis, [3] single‐cell sequencing, [4] directed enzymatic evolution, [5] high throughput drug screening, [6] and digital polymerase chain reaction (PCR) [7] . In most cases, the use of surfactants is crucial to prevent coalescence between droplets and stabilize their formation [8] . However, despite its advantages, formulating emulsified droplets with optimal performance for biological applications remains a significant challenge due to the lack of proper surfactants [9]…”