Can one distinguish between micelle and vesicle from TEM image?
micelle are usually of few nanometers, while vesicles are larger. Moreover, if you have a multilamellar vesicles you should be able to see multi concentric circles
If you can actually see them in your TEM image you may be able to distinguish them but the size of the micelles makes them difficult to image. A better way would be Cryo-TEM if you have the capability.
If we are talking about normal surfactants/lipid micelles and vesicles, (instead of, e.g. polymers), then, micelles typically have a diameter of no more than about 5 nm. Normal micelles are therefore difficult to visualize, unless they are elongated, or thread- or worm-like, in which case it might be a little easier. Vesicles are typically significantly larger and easier to visualize.
My feeling is that if you see them, and they are not thread- or work-like, then your aggregates are most-likely to be vesicles.
Micelle is small in size usually a few nanometers as mentioned by others and a single-layer structure of lipids, with no other contents. A vesicle is a double-layered structure, used by a cell to transport specific substances. Liposomes are artificially created vesicles-like structure.
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