Vesicle formation induced by layered double hydroxides in the catanionic surfactant solution composed of sodium dodecyl sulfate and dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide

In this paper, it is reported that positively charged Mg3Al layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanoparticles can induce the spontaneous formation of vesicles in micelle solution of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) with a mass ratio of 8:2. The formation of vesicles was demonstrated by negative-staining transmission electron microscopy observations. The size of the vesicles increased with the increase in the concentration of Mg3Al-LDH nanoparticles. A composite of LDH nanoparticles encapsulated in vesicles was formed. A possible mechanism of LDH-induced vesicle formation was suggested. The positively charged LDH surface attracts negatively charged micelles or free amphiphilic molecules, which facilitates their aggregation into bilayer patches. These bilayer patches connect to each other and finally close to form vesicles. It was also found that an adsorbed compound layer of SDS and DTAB micelles or molecules on the LDHs surface played a key role in vesicle formation.