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Updated: Sep 16, 2025

Self-Assembly of Hybrid Lipid Membranes Doped with Hydrophobic Organic Molecules at the Water/Air Interface
Published on: May 1, 2020
Cholesterol modulated assembly of graphene oxide nano-flakes at a phospholipid interface
Ajit Seth1, Rajendra P Giri2, Nicholas Hayen2
1Department of Physics, School of Natural Sciences, Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence, NH91, Tehsil Dadri, G. B. Nagar, Uttar Pradesh 201314, India.
None:
Cholesterol, a key structural component of mammalian cell membranes, is crucial in stabilizing the membrane and regulating its biophysical properties. Herein, the self-assembly of graphene oxide (GO) around differently charged lipid monolayers modulated by cholesterol has been investigated using surface pressure-area isotherms and synchrotron-based X-ray reflectivity. In pristine lipid monolayers, electrostatic interactions control the self-assembly of GO nano-flakes around the lipid molecules. However, upon the addition of cholesterol, the adsorption and penetration kinetics of GO nano-flakes into the lipid monolayers are drastically amplified, irrespective of the ionic nature of lipids. The experimental observations are discussed in terms of interactions occurring among GO nano-flakes, phospholipids, and cholesterol molecules.
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