Formation of Ag nanostrings induced by lyotropic liquid-crystalline phospholipid multilayer

Morphological variation of the Ag nanoparticles embedded in a lyotropic phospholipid (1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine, DOPE) membrane during hydration was investigated. Hydration at 5 °C resulted in transformation of the Ag nanoparticles into a bundle of Ag nanostrings as the Ag nanoparticles conformed to the H(II) phase of the DOPE molecules. Above 30 °C, the nanoparticles quickly coarsened into large polygonal-shaped particles since high mobility of the lipid molecules overwhelmed the tendency for the Ag nanoparticles to order. The result provided an insight into the long-term stability of nanoparticles trapped in different lipid membranes depending on the structural ordering of the molecules.