Fluorescent probe solubilised in cetyltrimethylammonium bromide micelles by molecular dynamics simulation

In this paper, the solubilisation process of pyrene molecule, as the fluorescence probe molecule, in cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) surfactant micelle solution is studied by molecular dynamics (MD) method. When one pyrene molecule is in the micellar solution, it can be adsorbed into the micelle spontaneously and vertically. The probe molecule mainly locates in the interior cavity or the palisade layer of the micelle. When two pyrene molecules exist in the micellar solution, they transfer from the interior to the palisade layer. Although strong π–π interactions exist between the pyrene molecules, the pyrenes separate to each other in the palisade layer in two-third simulated time.