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Updated: Sep 20, 2026

Single-Molecule Diffusion and Assembly on Polymer-Crowded Lipid Membranes
Published on: July 19, 2022
Lipid membranes with grafted polymers: physicochemical aspects
Derek Marsh1, Rosa Bartucci, Luigi Sportelli
1Max-Planck-Institut für Biophysikalische Chemie, Abteilung Spektroskopie, Am Fassberg 11, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany. dmarsh@gwdg.de
Abstract:
Membranes grafted with water-soluble polymers resist protein adsorption and adhesion to cellular surfaces. Liposomes with surface-grafted polymers therefore find applications in drug delivery. The physicochemical properties of polymer-grafted lipid membranes are reviewed with mean-field and scaling theories from polymer physics. Topics covered are: mushroom-brush transitions, membrane expansion and elasticity, bilayer-micelle transitions, membrane-membrane interactions and protein-membrane interactions.
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