This is in sharp contrast to many non-equilibrium surfactant phases studied in other systems. Phospholipid vesicles, for example, are currently the focus of much research as a proposed means of pharmaceutical delivery. While structurally similar to catanionic vesicles, phospholipid vesicles must be formed through physical or chemical means such a sonication or extrusion. Phospholipid vesicles are stable for long periods of time, but eventually revert to a flat lamellar equilibrium phase. Such reversion to a lamellar phase does not occur with catanionic vesicles.
Catanionic surfactants have many potential uses.
Catanionic vesicles have the potential to be used as microreactors, where chemical reactions may take place under highly controlled conditions. Since they closely resemble the phospholipid bilayers that form cell walls, catanionic bilayers may also be used to model membranes for biological systems. Since catanionic surfactant self-assemble with highly ordered microstructure, it is hoped they might be used as templates for novel materials. Already, hydrophobic polymer monomers have been introduced into catanionic vesicle systems. These monomers may then be cross-linked to form hollow polymer spheres on the scale of hundreds of microns in diameter.