Monodisperse bile-salt nanotubes in water: Kinetics of formation

Sodium lithocholate forms stabilized cylindrical nanotubes with thin monomolecular walls (see Figure) through fast and complex morphological evolutions. The kinetics of formation can be followed by small-angle X-ray scattering using a brilliant synchrotron source, and are corroborated by cryo-transmission electron microscopy. Coaxial cylinders, helical ribbons, fibrils, and single-walled tubes are found to coexist in the first few minutes of the supramolecular organization process.