Meglumine-based supramolecular amphiphiles: The effect of chain length

Surfactants are amphiphilic substances that lower the surface tension or influence the surfaces' contact between two liquids. They are suitable for a wide range of industrial applications, often being used as emulsifiers. However, most of them are petroleum derivatives and generally are non-biodegradable. New synthetic surfactants have been reported in the literature using a covalent synthesis method, but it takes several steps and uses a large amount of toxic organic solvents. To overcome those drawbacks, we proposed a supramolecular green synthesis route. The acid-base reaction between meglumine (MEG) and two saturated carboxylic acids differing in chain size, undecanoate acid (UM, 11 carbons) and palmitic acid (PM, 16 carbons), were performed in a minimum quantity of organic solvent. The supra-amphiphiles, PM and UM, were analyzed by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Capillarity Viscosity, Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and Polarized Optical Microscopy (POM) in the presence and/or absence of water. We observed two distinct self-assembly behaviors in water. UM act as a surfactant since SAXS showed micellar aggregation, and its relative viscosity curve has no alteration. Additionally, the events present in DSC curves show no evidence of gel-sol transition due absence of stable hydrogen bonds. On the other hand, PM act as a supramolecular polymer, as evidenced by a baseline shift of the DSC curves due to the disruption of hydrogen bonds. Moreover, PM self-assembles in water in a liquid-crystalline arrangement with increasing viscosity in a concentration-dependent manner. SAXS studies showed the formation of lamellar and hexagonal mesophases. Based on these results, we proposed a model in which the adducts' supramolecular organization is dependent on the hydrophilic/hydrophobic balance. When it tends to the hydrophobic side, there is the formation of the supramolecular polymer. The Van der Waals interactions are necessary to organize the liquid-crystalline mesophase. Also, they are necessary to stabilize the hydrogen bonds between MEG/water, enabling the gel-sol transition, leading to new properties, like thermal reversibility observed in PM. (C) 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Surfactants are amphiphilic substances that lower the surface tension between liquids. In this study, a supramolecular green synthesis route was proposed to overcome the drawbacks of traditional surfactants. The synthesized supramolecular amphiphiles showed distinct self-assembly behaviors in water, forming micellar aggregates or liquid-crystalline structures.