This book will describe fundamentals and recent developments in the area of Self-Assembled Supramolecular Architecture and their relevance to the understanding of the functionality of membranes as delivery systems for active ingredients. As the heirarchial architectures determine their performance capabilities, attention will be paid to theoretical and design aspects related to the construction of lyotropic liquid crystals: mesophases such as lamellar, hexagonal, cubic, sponge phase micellosomes. The book will bring to the reader mechanistic aspects, compositional considerations, transition within phases, solubilization capacities, drug entrapment and release mechanisms and transmembrane, transdermal, and other transport phenomena. It will stress the importance of these mesostructures to crystallization and polymorphism of drugs, fats, and nutraceuticals and will discuss regioselectivity of organic and enzymatic reactions that take place at interfaces and within the channels of the mesophase. The book will bring studies on the use of these mesophase as crystallization or particulation media for the formation of nanoparticles and nanocrystals. Chapters will discuss applications in the areas of pharmaceuticals, food, cosmetics, plastics, paper, agro-chemistry and industrial applications.
