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Assembly of Cell Mimicking Supported and Suspended Lipid Bilayer Models for the Study of Molecular Interactions

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Effect of protic ionic liquid nanostructure on phospholipid vesicle formation.

Saffron J Bryant¹, Kathleen Wood², Rob Atkin³

¹School of Chemistry, F11, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia. gregory.warr@sydney.edu.au.

|January 24, 2017

Summary

Ionic liquids enable control over phospholipid liquid crystals and vesicles. Their structure and stability depend on the ionic liquid

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Area of Science:

Materials Science
Soft Matter Physics
Biophysics

Background:

Phospholipids form lyotropic liquid crystals and vesicles in aqueous systems.
Ionic liquids (ILs) are tunable solvents with potential applications in soft and biological materials.
Understanding phospholipid self-assembly in ILs is crucial for novel material design.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the formation and structure of phospholipid-based lyotropic liquid crystals and vesicle dispersions in protic ionic liquids.
To determine the factors influencing the stability and properties of these phospholipid assemblies in ILs.
To explore the potential of ILs for controlling vesicle structure and properties.

Main Methods:

Polarizing optical microscopy with isothermal penetration scans.
Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).
Small-angle X-ray and neutron scattering (SAXS/SANS).

Main Results:

Phospholipid lyotropic liquid crystals and vesicle dispersions form in protic ionic liquids.
The stability and structure are primarily dictated by the ionic liquid's amphiphilic nanostructure.
Systematic trends in bilayer thickness, chain-melting temperature, and enthalpy correlate with phospholipid acyl chain length, similar to aqueous systems.

Conclusions:

Ionic liquids can serve as a versatile medium for forming and stabilizing phospholipid liquid crystals and vesicles.
The choice of cation and anion in ionic liquids allows for precise control over vesicle structure and properties.
These findings have significant implications for applications in soft materials, biological interfaces, and biopreservation.