Temporal emergence of giant vesicles accompanied by hydrolysis of ammonium amphiphiles with a Schiff-base segment

An aqueous dispersion of the ammonium amphiphile with a Schiff-base segment exhibited the formation and decomposition of giant vesicles with diameters of several micrometers 2-4 h after the preparation. The time course trace of the morphological changes of the self-aggregates by means of light microscopy, electron microscopy and (HNMR)-H-1 revealed that the temporal emergence of the giant vesicles was dependent on the progress of hydrolysis of the Schiff-base segment.