Membrane protein purification by means of detergents is key to isolating membrane‐bound therapeutic targets. The role of the detergent structure in this process, however, is not well understood. Detergents are optimized empirically, leading to failed preparations, and thereby raising costs. Here we evaluate the utility of the hydrophilic‐lipophilic balance (HLB) concept, which was introduced by Griffin in 1949, for guiding the optimization of the hydrophobic tail in first‐generation, dendritic oligoglycerol detergents ([G1] OGDs). Our findings deliver qualitative HLB guidelines for rationalizing the optimization of detergents. Moreover, [G1] OGDs exhibit strongly delipidating properties, regardless of the structure of the hydrophobic tail, which delivers a methodological enabling step for investigating binding strengths of endogenous lipids and their role for membrane protein oligomerization. Our findings will facilitate the analysis of challenging drug targets in the future.

This Minireview discusses recent developments in research on the interfacial phenomena of fluorinated amphiphiles, with a focus on applications that exploit the unique and manifold interfacial properties associated with these amphiphiles. Most notably, fluorinated amphiphiles form stable aggregates with often distinctly different morphologies compared to their nonfluorinated counterparts. Consequently, fluorinated surfactants have found wide use in high-performance applications such as microfluidic-assisted screening. Additionally, their fluorine-specific behaviour at solid/liquid interfaces, such as the formation of superhydrophobic coatings after deposition on surfaces, will be discussed. As fluorinated surfactants and perfluorinated materials in general pose potential environmental threats, recent developments in their remediation based on their adsorption onto fluorinated surfaces will be evaluated.

Abbildung 4. a) Allgemeine chemische Struktur der Gelatoren auf der Grundlage des Cyclohexyl-Diamid-Kerns. b) Vorgeschlagener Aufbaumechanismus für den C 7 F 15 -substituierten Gelator. [31] c)-e) Zweistufige hierarchische Struktur der selbstorganisierten Strukturen von Gelatoren mit verschiedenen Seitenketten. [31,32] f)-h) Selbstreinigung gegenüber Blut auf geschmierter gleitfähiger Oberfläche. [31] i) und j) Lichtmikroskopische Aufnahmen, die das unterschiedliche Ausmaß der Beeinträchtigung während der Wasserflussstabilitätstests der hergestellten Beschichtungen zeigen. [32] k) und l) Veränderung des makroskopischen Aussehens der Beschichtungen in (i) bzw. (j), analysiert anhand der Pixelhelligkeit. [32] Abbildung adaptiert mit Genehmigung von Wei et al. [31] und Lee et al. [32]