Figure 3.

Schematic representations of one-phase systems with micelles (A) and microemulsions (B). In (A), amphiphilic molecules coalesce into small spherical clusters on the order of ~ 5 nm called micelles, with their hydrophilic moeity (green) exposed to water (blue) and their hydrophobic moeity (orange) largely shielded from water. Similar to micelles are microemulsions (B), where water-insoluble molecules generically termed “oil” (yellow) are surrounded by amphiphiles forming large continuous structures in water.