Influence of some sterols and nucleotides on the structure of self-assembled amphiphilic systems

Abstract

This thesis documents our investigations into the structure and stability of self assembled systems of varied morphologies. The systems considered range from polymeric macro-ion complexes, formed by deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and oppositely charged cylindrical surfactant micelles; to sheet-like lipid bilayer systems, with a host of adsorbed and embedded molecules. We use Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) and elemental analysis techniques to chart and model the aforementioned systems.