ENCAPSULATION OF FLUOROPHORES IN MULTIPLE MICROENVIRONMENTS IN SURFACTANT-BASED SUPRAMOLECULAR ASSEMBLIES

This chapter describes encapsulation of flurophores in multiple microenviroments in surfactant-based supramolecular assemblies. Chemistry at the molecular level is dominated by the chemistry of the covalent bond. In contrast, supramolecular chemistry extends beyond the realm of individual molecules to focus on intermolecular noncovalent interactions between two or more molecules to create an organized association or structure. The use of environmentally sensitive fluorescence probes to characterize surfactant-based supramolecular assemblies is unquestionably a powerful approach to provide insights into the structure and dynamics of these diverse systems. The selection of probes with affinities for multiple partitioning sites within supramolecular species certainly has the potential to generate challenging spectral analyses. With a greater understanding of environmental effects on the emission parameters of solvatochromic fluorophores, the practice of encapsulating these extrinsic probes in supramolecular systems should become an increasingly common strategy to delineate the microdomains of these unique structures.