Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 16, 2026

Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets
Published on: May 15, 2017
Occurrence of glass transitions in long-chain phosphatidylcholine mesophases
Evgenyi Y Shalaev1, George Zografi, Peter L Steponkus
1Groton Laboratories, Pfizer Inc., Groton, Connecticut 06340, USA. evgenyi.y.shalaev@pfizer.com
Abstract:
Several phosphatidylcholine (PC) species were studied by differential scanning calorimetry at different levels of hydration. A glass transition was observed in both lamellar gel and nonlamellar phases, with the glass transition temperature, T(g), decreasing as water content was increased. The structure of the lipid mesophase has a major impact on T(g), with the lamellar gel phase having a higher T(g) than that of nonlamellar phases of the same lipid. While the headgroup has a noticeable influence on the T(g), changing the chain length, on the other hand, has less of an impact. The values of the calorimteric T(g) were compared with other measures of molecular mobility in the PC species at comparable water contents reported in the literature. Observation of a T(g) in different phosphatidylethanolamines (PE), as previously reported, and PC species in this study suggests that a glass transition can be expected to be a common feature of biological membranes and phospholipid bilayer preparations, such as liposomes.
More Related Videos
11:27A Package of Established Analytical Tools to Investigate the Solid-State Alteration of Lipid-Based Excipients
Published on: August 9, 2022
10:08Phase Behavior of Charged Vesicles Under Symmetric and Asymmetric Solution Conditions Monitored with Fluorescence Microscopy
Published on: October 24, 2017
Related Concept Videos
Membrane Fluidity
Mosaic nature of the membrane
The mosaic characteristic of the membrane helps the plasma membrane remain fluid. The integral proteins and lipids exist as separate but loosely-attached molecules in the membrane. The membrane is a relatively...
Membrane Fluidity
Synthesis of Phosphatidylcholine in the ER Membrane
The major components of all eukaryotic cell...
Membrane Lipids
Phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine, and sphingomyelin are the most common phospholipids present in mammalian membranes. At physiological pH, phosphatidylserine is negatively charged, while the other three...
Phase Transitions
Phase Transitions