Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

The strong electrostatic interactions at the oil-water interface between a small molecule, 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphyrin, H₆ TPPS, dissolved in water, and an amine terminated hydrophobic polymer dissolved in oil are shown to produce a supramolecular polymer surfactant (SPS) of H₆ TPPS at the interface with a binding energy that is sufficiently strong to allow an intermolecular aggregation of the supramolecular polymers. SPSs at the oil-water interface are confirmed by in situ real-space atomic force microcopy imaging. The assemblies of these aggregates can jam at the interface, opening a novel route to kinetically trap the liquids in non-equilibrium shapes. The elastic film, comprised of SPSs, wrinkles upon compression, providing a strategy to stabilize liquids in non-equilibrium shapes.