Self-assembly with varying hydrophobic centers:Synthesis of red blood cell-like basic magnesium carbonate microspheres

Basic magnesium carbonate microspheres with a red blood cell（RBC）-like appearance and diameters of;μm were synthesized by amphiphilic molecule-participated self-assembly under hydrothermal conditions.In the self-assembly,sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate served as a template for the formation of Mg（OH）;spherical micelles and also as a reactant precursor that releases CO;to react with Mg（OH）;.The growth of the microspheres is driven by the continuous generation of new hydrophobic centers because of the consumption of hydrophilic poles（—SO;）.The surfactant-directed self-assembly can be applied to the synthesis of other carbonate or metallic oxide self-assemblies,indicating that it is a universal self-assembly method for amphiphilic molecules.