Self-assembling properties of 6-O-alkyltrehaloses under aqueous conditions

In this study, we report the self-assembling properties of 6-O-alkyltrehaloses with different chain lengths, that is, octyl, decyl, dodecyl, tetradecyl, and hexadecyl, under aqueous conditions. The materials were synthesized from trehalose via five reaction steps. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), and dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements indicated that the self-assembling property of 6-O-dodecyltrehalose was completely different from that of the other derivatives. The former primarily formed spherical micelles in water, which further assembled into face-centered cubic-based aggregates when dried. The latter derivatives, on the other hand, formed vesicle-type particles via the formation of lamellar-like planes, which further merged with each other, most likely by the fusion of the planes, to construct larger aggregates.

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► Self-assembly of trehalose 6-O-alkyl ethers under aqueous conditions was studied.
► Self-assembling properties were evaluated by SEM, TEM, XRD, and DLS analyses.
► Alkyl chain lengths in the materials affected self-assembling properties.