Living polynucleotides formed by the spontaneous aggregation of dilauroylphosphonucleosides
Abstract
This contribution concerns a structural investigation of dilauroylphosphonucleoside aggregates in aqueous solutions as a function of ionic strength and surfactant concentration. A micellar growth in the axial direction to form worm-like aggregates is observed as the surfactant concentration is increased, until the system shows a distinct viscoelastic behavior, which suggests the presence of a polymer-like network. Small angle neutron scattering (SANS) allows the structural properties of such micellar networks to be inferred below and above the threshold concentration of entanglement. A merging of SANS and SLS data in fact provides a spectral window corresponding to all the relevant length scales of the system in the direct space. These worm-like aggregates are characterized in terms of cross-sectional radius, persistence length and overall molar mass, while the micellar network can be described by its mesh size.
- Publication:
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Applied Physics A: Materials Science & Processing
- Pub Date:
- 2002
- DOI:
- 10.1007/s003390101217
- Bibcode:
- 2002ApPhA..74S1270B
- Keywords:
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- PACS: 61.12.Ex;
- 61.25.Hq