Novel Structural Model of Reversed Micelles: The Open Water-Channel Model

According to the classical model of reversed micelles, any water molecules present are solubilized in the micellar core. Here we report unique findings on the nanostructure of reversed micellar aggregates obtained by proton magnetic resonance ( 1 H NMR) spectroscopy and molecular simulation. 1 H NMR measurements of the chemical shift of water protons indicate that solubilized water can exist in different environments in reversed micellar systems. The molecular modeling shows that water molecules can be localized in channels within the surface of some rodlike micellar aggregates, thereby confirming the “open water-channel model” of reversed micelles. This finding has significant implications regarding the physicochemical properties and technological applications of reversed micelles.