Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 13, 2026

Assembly of Cell Mimicking Supported and Suspended Lipid Bilayer Models for the Study of Molecular Interactions
Published on: August 3, 2021
Nanostructure of supported lipid bilayers in water
1Department für Physik and CeNS Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, D-80539 München, Germany. nickel@lmu.de
Abstract:
Biologically functional supported lipid bilayers (SLBs) used in the rising field of nanobiotechnology require fine tuning of the SLB interface with the substrate, e.g., a sensor surface. Depending on the application, membrane functionality implies a homogeneous and dense bilayer and a certain degree of diffusivity in order to allow for a rearrangement in response to, e.g., protein binding. Here, progress in the preparation, characterization, and application of SLBs obtained in the past three to five years are highlighted. Synchrotron techniques, which allow to reveal structural features within the membrane on a length scale of approximately 0.5 nm are discussed in more detail, as well as the relation of structural features to dynamical membrane properties obtained by complementary optical techniques.
Related Concept Videos
Micelles
Asymmetric Lipid Bilayer
Fluid Mosaic Model
Assembly of the Lipid Bilayer in the ER
A large chunk of any biological membrane is composed of phospholipids. These lipids have a heterogeneous distribution across different subcellular organelles and even between...
Membrane Domains
Protein Domains
The membrane comprises a group of distinct proteins responsible for carrying out a cell's specific function. For example, the plasma membrane of the human sperm, or a single germ cell, contains a unique set of proteins in the anterior...
What are Lipids?
Non-Polar and Hydrophobic Characteristics of Lipids
Lipids are a structurally and functionally diverse group of hydrocarbons—compounds consisting of carbon and hydrogen atoms. The carbon-carbon and carbon-hydrogen bonds...

