Biological amphiphiles

Amphiphilic (water-loving/water-hating) molecules in water self-assemble into a broad variety of morphologies, of which the most important ones are micelles, vesicles and lamellae. Surfactant self-assembly generates a broad interest across many fields of research for its implication in chemistry, physics, materials’ science but also life science and medicine. Amphiphiles are everywhere, from everyday consumers’ products (emulsions, shampoos, detergents, cosmetics) to high-end products like drug carriers (liposomes) to living organisms (cell membrane walls). However, chemical-based amphiphiles raise a number of ecotoxicalogical concerns since decades and for this reason the field of biological amphiphiles has gained a lot of interest in the past years.

This research theme, developed by Niki BACCILE, involves the study of biological amphiphiles at different scales, from nano to macro, under different physicochemical conditions, and in various phases and interfaces.


More information on this research axis will be found here.