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Updated: Aug 15, 2026

Atomic Force Microscopy Imaging and Force Spectroscopy of Supported Lipid Bilayers
Published on: July 22, 2015
Trapping of short-lived intermediates in phospholipid phase transitions: the L* alpha phase
P Laggner1, H Amenitsch, M Kriechbaum
1Institute of Biophysics and X-ray Structure Research, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Graz, Austria.
Abstract:
Time-resolved small-angle X-ray diffraction of liquid-crystalline phospholipid-water systems under temperature or pressure jump conditions has demonstrated the existence of an ordered, intermediate L alpha phase, with a sub-second lifetime, designated as the L* alpha-phase. The lamellar repeat spacing is, universally, 0.3 nm smaller than that of the parent phase, irrespective of the lipid composition and of the jump conditions, provided that the jump leads to a net volume expansion of the phase. The presence of salts, most notably LiCl, leads to a prolongation of the lifetime. The results suggest a non-monotonic potential function for the interbilayer water thickness.
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