Poly(ethylene glycol) amphiphile adsorption and liposome partition

Surface localized poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) amphiphiles of type C16:0-EO151 and C18:2-EO151 were studied via ellipsometry at macroscopic, flat methylated silica (MeSi), phosphatidic acid (PA), and phosphatidylcholine (PC) surfaces. At these surfaces the amphiphiles adsorb similarly, in a non-cooperative manner, achieving a plateau (approximately 0.1 PEG chains/nm2) well below amphiphile critical micelle concentration (CMC). The resultant PEG-enriched layers were 10-15 nm thick, with a polymer concentration (approximately 0.07 g/cm3) greater than the PEG-enriched phase of many dextran, PEG aqueous two-phase systems. PEG-amphiphile adsorption (mg/m2) at hydrophobic and phospholipid flat surfaces correlated with changes in the partition (log K) of PC liposomes in such two-phase systems. PEG-amphiphile adsorption at macroscopic surfaces appears to represent a balance between hydrophobic attraction and repulsive intra-chain interactions which promote chain elongation normal to the surface.