DSPC/DLPC mixed films supported on silica: a QCM-D and friction force study

The membrane properties of phospholipid mixtures supported on silica were studied by means of a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) technique, in situ soft-contact atomic force microscopy (AFM), and friction force microscopy (FFM). The phospholipids used in this study were di-stearoylphosphatidylcholine (DSPC) and dilauroylphosphatidylcholine (DLPC). The phospholipid films were prepared by a vesicle-fusion method, in which DSPC/DLPC mixed liposomes dispersed in an aqueous medium are adsorbed on silica and their structure is transformed into a bilayer on the substrate. The changes in QCM-D (frequency and dissipation) and friction responses of DSPC single systems (gel state at 25°C) are relatively large compared with those of DLPC single systems (liquid-crystalline state at 25°C) and those of mixed DSPC/DLPC systems. This suggests that (i) the gel-state DSPC liposomes are somewhat flattened on the silica, by keeping their solid-like molecular rigidity, whereas (ii) both the liquid-crystalline DLPC and mixed liposomes experience instantaneous structural transformation at the silica/water interface and form a normally flattened bilayer on the substrate. The friction force response is dependent on the phase state of the phospholipids, and the liquid-crystalline DLPC has a more significant impact on the overall membrane properties (i.e., the degree of swelling and the friction response on the surface) than does the gel-state DSPC.