Monodisperse Bile‐Salt Nanotubes in Water: Kinetics of Formation

Abstract

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.