Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 26, 2026

Self-Assembly of Hybrid Lipid Membranes Doped with Hydrophobic Organic Molecules at the Water/Air Interface
Published on: May 1, 2020
Effect of Fe3O4 Nanoparticles on Mixed POPC/DPPC Monolayers at Air-Water Interface
Zhuangwei Xu1, Changchun Hao1, Bin Xie1
1School of Physics and Information Technology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China.
Abstract:
Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) as a commonly used carrier in targeted drug delivery are widely used to carry drugs for the treatment of diseases. However, the mechanism of action of between Fe3O4 NPs and biological membranes is still unclear. Therefore, this article reports the influence of hydrophilic and hydrophobic Fe3O4 NPs on mixed 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) and 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) that were studied using the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) film technique and an atomic force microscope (AFM). From surface pressure-area (π-A) isotherms, we have calculated the compression modulus. The results showed that hydrophobic Fe3O4 NPs enlarged the liquid-expanded (LE) and liquid-condensed (LC) phase of the mixed POPC/DPPC monolayers. The compressibility modulus of the mixed POPC/DPPC monolayer increases for hydrophilic Fe3O4 NPs, but the opposite happens for the hydrophobic Fe3O4 NPs. The adsorption of hydrophobic Fe3O4 NPs in mixed POPC/DPPC monolayers was much more than the hydrophilic Fe3O4 NPs. The interaction of hydrophilic Fe3O4 NPs with the head polar group of the mixed lipids increased the attraction force among the molecules, while the interaction of hydrophobic Fe3O4 NPs with the tail chain of the mixed lipids enhanced the repulsive force. The morphology of the monolayers was observed by AFM for validating the inferred results. This study is of great help for the application of Fe3O4 NPs in biological systems.
Related Concept Videos
Protein-protein Interfaces
Protein-Protein Interfaces
Mixing Concrete
Mixing Time
Air-entraining Agents
States of Water
Water freezes when the intermolecular forces are greater than the kinetic energy. Unlike most other substances, water is less dense in its solid state than in its liquid state. This is because each water molecule can form...

