Nanoscale rheology at solid-complex fluid interfaces

Here we present an approach to measure dynamic membrane properties of phospholipid membranes close to an interface. As an example we show results of the membrane dynamics of a phospholipid membrane multilayer-stack on a solid substrate (silicon). On this sample we were able to measure local interaction and friction parameters using Grazing Incidence Neutron Spin Echo Spectroscopy (GINSES), where an evanescent neutron wave probes the fluctuations close to a rigid interface. With this method it is possible to access length scales in the nano to micrometer region as well as energies in the μeV range. Using a new neutron resonator structure we achieved the required intensity gain for this experiment. During our investigations we found an excitation mode of the phospholipid membrane that has not been reported previously and only became visible using the new methodology. We speculate that the energy transported by that undulation can also serve to distribute energy over a larger area of the membrane, stabilizing it. This new methodology has the capability to probe the viscoelastic effects of biological membranes, becoming a new tool for tribology on the nanoscale and has allowed the observation of the hitherto invisible property of phospholipid membranes using neutrons.