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Updated: Jul 12, 2026

Assembly of Cell Mimicking Supported and Suspended Lipid Bilayer Models for the Study of Molecular Interactions
Published on: August 3, 2021
Specific anion and cation binding to lipid membranes investigated on a solid supported membrane
Juan J Garcia-Celma1, Lina Hatahet, Werner Kunz
1Department of Biophysical Chemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, D-60438 Frankfurt, Germany.
Abstract:
Ion binding to a lipid membrane is studied by application of a rapid solution exchange on a solid supported membrane. The resulting charge displacement is analyzed in terms of the affinity of the applied ions to the lipid surface. We find that chaotropic anions and kosmotropic cations are attracted to the membrane independent of the membrane composition. In particular, the same behavior is found for lipid headgroups bearing no charge, like monoolein. This general trend is modulated by electrostatic interaction of the ions with the lipid headgroup charge. These results cannot be explained with the current models of specific ion interactions.
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