Model membranes: developments in functional micelles and vesicles.

Although aggregates of amphiphilic molecules have been studied for decades, systems are now being developed that are able to perform useful functions, including drug delivery, control of the availability of chemical species, sensing of ions or organic molecules, and, the most challenging, providing a reaction environment for chemical reactions that resembles that of the natural system. Such systems are therefore becoming more and more important in a variety of fields, ranging from material science to analytical chemistry and medicine.