Oxidation-induced the Formation of Vesicles from Ferrocene Derivative Superamphiphiles

The stimuli-responsive vesicles were prepared via electrochemical oxidation on the mixture solution of ferrocenylmethyl-trimethylammonium iodide (FcMI) and sodium deoxycholate (NaDC). The vesicle structure and morphology are characterized respectively by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The vesicle shells can be clearly observed by TEM with the thickness ranging from several to several tens of nanometers and their outer diameters at the range of 50-200 nm. The formation of vesicular structures is also supported via AFM measurements, and the ratio of the diameter and height of the nanospheres was estimated to be ca. 10, indicating the shell collapse. The obtained results are significant for the preparation of smart supramolecular aggregates.