Self-assembly in saponin mixtures: Escin/tea, tea/glycyrrhizic acid, and escin/glycyrrhizic acid mixtures

Saponins are plant based biosurfactants that obtained from a wide variety of species. They surface active glycosides with hydrophobic group, which is commonly triterpenoid or steroidal and saccharide hydrophilic units. Their structures markedly different conventional synthetic surfactants, present interesting challenges in understanding their optimal packing self-assembled such as micelles. Furthermore the molecular available provide opportunities to optimise mixed systems. In current literature there limited information on saponin self-assembly, especially mixtures. The general view globular more elongated micelle form at relatively low concentrations. Here small angle neutron scattering, SANS, used investigate quantify structure escin, tea glycyrrhizic acid micelles particularly escin/tea, tea/glycyrrhizic escin/glycyrrhizic mixtures focus principally how headgroup affect self-assembly. Tea saponins micelles, whereas escin larger structures. changes observed reflect constraints associated aglycone section differences headgroups. escin/tea acid/tea greater intrinsic curvature dominates over much composition range explored. For mixture size aggregation number go through minimum an approximately equimolar composition, this implies difficulty efficient two structures, results increase preferred