micelle

American  

[mi-sel] / mɪˈsɛl /

noun

1. Physical Chemistry. an electrically charged particle formed by an aggregate of molecules and occurring in certain colloidal electrolyte solutions, as those of soaps and detergents.

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micelle British  

/ mɪˈsɛl, mɪˈsɛlə /

noun

1. chem

   1. a charged aggregate of molecules of colloidal size in a solution

   2. any molecular aggregate of colloidal size, such as a particle found in coal

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Other Word Forms

• micellar adjective
• micellarly adverb

Etymology

Origin of micelle

1880–85; < New Latin mīcella, equivalent to Latin mīc ( a ) crumb, grain + -ella -elle

Example Sentences

The soap does this because it acts as bridge between the water and what is being cleaned away, by binding them and wrapping them into those micelle structures.

From Science Daily • Nov. 8, 2023

"The concept of the micelle may be new for the electrolyte, but it's actually very common for our daily life," Qi said.

From Science Daily • Nov. 8, 2023

Nanopatterning by block copolymer micelle nanolithography and bioinspired applications.

From Nature • Dec. 5, 2017

At this point, lipid substances exit the micelle and are absorbed via simple diffusion.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013