Water diffusion and headgroup mobility in polymer-like reverse micelles: evidence of a sphere-to-rod-to-sphere transition

A study was conducted to examine the soybean lecithin/water/perdeuterated cyclohexane system through a pulsed gradient spin-echo nuclear magnetic resonance. It was previously established that the polymer-like properties of the system were due to a water-induced one-dimensional growth of the micellar conglomerates into lengthy and flexible cylindrical reverse micelles. Results revealed that the effect of water addition to the system was described as a sphere-to-rod transition at low water content and a rod-to-sphere transition at increased water content.