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Le Brun AP, Gilbert EP. Advances in sample environments for neutron scattering for colloid and interface science. Adv Colloid Interface Sci 2024; 327:103141. [PMID: 38631095 DOI: 10.1016/j.cis.2024.103141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
This review describes recent advances in sample environments across the full complement of applicable neutron scattering techniques to colloid and interface science. Temperature, pressure, flow, tensile testing, ultrasound, chemical reactions, IR/visible/UV light, confinement, humidity and electric and magnetic field application, as well as tandem X-ray methods, are all addressed. Consideration for material choices in sample environments and data acquisition methods are also covered as well as discussion of current and potential future use of machine learning and artificial intelligence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anton P Le Brun
- Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), New Illawarra Road, Lucas Heights, NSW 2234, Australia
| | - Elliot Paul Gilbert
- Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), New Illawarra Road, Lucas Heights, NSW 2234, Australia.
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2
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Schwörer F, Trapp M, Silvi L, Gutfreund P, Steitz R, Dahint R. Location of Polyelectrolytes in Swollen Lipid Oligobilayers. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2023; 39:14958-14968. [PMID: 37815275 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c01792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/11/2023]
Abstract
Osteoarthritis is caused by degeneration of the cartilage, which covers the bone ends of the joints and is decorated with an oligolamellar phospholipid (PL) bilayer. The gap between the bone ends is filled with synovial fluid mainly containing hyaluronic acid (HA). HA and PLs are supposed to reduce friction and protect the cartilage from wear in joint movement. However, a detailed understanding of the molecular mechanisms of joint lubrication is still missing. Previously, we found that aqueous solutions of HA and poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH), the latter serving as a polymeric analogue to HA, adsorb onto the headgroups of surface-bound 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) oligobilayers and significantly enhance their stability with respect to shear forces, typically occurring in joint movement. We now investigated the precise location of PAH chains across the lipid films in neutron reflectivity measurements, as bridging of the oligobilayers by polyelectrolytes (PEs) might be the cause for their improved mechanical stability. In a first set of experiments, we used hydrogenated PAH and chain-deuterated DMPC (DMPC-d54) to improve the contrast between the lipids and potentially intruding PAH. However, due to difficulties in distinguishing between incorporation of water and PAH, penetration into the lipid chain region could hardly be proven quantitatively. Therefore, we designed a more elaborate experiment based on mixed films of DMPC-d54 and hydrogenated DMPC, which is insensitive to water penetration into the films. Beside facilitating a detailed structural characterization of the oligolamellar system, this elaborate approach showed that PAH adsorbs to the DMPC heads and penetrates the lipid tail strata. No PAH was found in the lipid head strata, which excludes bridging of several lipid bilayers by the PE chains. The data are consistent with the assumption that PAH bridges are formed between the headgroups of two adjacent bilayers and contribute to the enhanced mechanical stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felicitas Schwörer
- Applied Physical Chemistry, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 253, Heidelberg 69120, Germany
| | - Marcus Trapp
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, Berlin 14109, Germany
| | - Luca Silvi
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, Berlin 14109, Germany
| | | | - Roland Steitz
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, Berlin 14109, Germany
| | - Reiner Dahint
- Applied Physical Chemistry, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 253, Heidelberg 69120, Germany
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3
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Busch C, Nagy B, Stöcklin A, Gutfreund P, Dahint R, Ederth T. A mobile setup for simultaneous and in situ neutron reflectivity, infrared spectroscopy, and ellipsometry studies. THE REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS 2022; 93:114102. [PMID: 36461462 DOI: 10.1063/5.0118329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Neutron reflectivity at the solid/liquid interface offers unique opportunities for resolving the structure-function relationships of interfacial layers in soft matter science. It is a non-destructive technique for detailed analysis of layered structures on molecular length scales, providing thickness, density, roughness, and composition of individual layers or components of adsorbed films. However, there are also some well-known limitations of this method, such as the lack of chemical information, the difficulties in determining large layer thicknesses, and the limited time resolution. We have addressed these shortcomings by designing and implementing a portable sample environment for in situ characterization at neutron reflectometry beamlines, integrating infrared spectroscopy under attenuated total reflection for determination of molecular entities and their conformation, and spectroscopic ellipsometry for rapid and independent measurement of layer thicknesses and refractive indices. The utility of this combined setup is demonstrated by two projects investigating (a) pH-dependent swelling of polyelectrolyte layers and (b) the impact of nanoparticles on lipid membranes to identify potential mechanisms of nanotoxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Busch
- Applied Physical Chemistry, Institute for Physical Chemistry, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 253, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Béla Nagy
- Division of Biophysics and Bioengineering, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Linköping University, 581 83 Linköping, Sweden
| | - Andreas Stöcklin
- Applied Physical Chemistry, Institute for Physical Chemistry, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 253, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Philipp Gutfreund
- Institut Laue-Langevin, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, CS 20156, 38042 Grenoble Cedex 9, France
| | - Reiner Dahint
- Applied Physical Chemistry, Institute for Physical Chemistry, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 253, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Thomas Ederth
- Division of Biophysics and Bioengineering, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Linköping University, 581 83 Linköping, Sweden
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4
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Köhler S, Fragneto G, Alcaraz JP, Nelson A, Martin DK, Maccarini M. Nanostructural Characterization of Cardiolipin-Containing Tethered Lipid Bilayers Adsorbed on Gold and Silicon Substrates for Protein Incorporation. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2021; 37:8908-8923. [PMID: 34286589 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.1c00119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
A key to the development of lipid membrane-based devices is a fundamental understanding of how the molecular structure of the lipid bilayer membrane is influenced by the type of lipids used to build the membrane. This is particularly important when membrane proteins are included in these devices since the precise lipid environment affects the ability to incorporate membrane proteins and their functionality. Here, we used neutron reflectometry to investigate the structure of tethered bilayer lipid membranes and to characterize the incorporation of the NhaA sodium proton exchanger in the bilayer. The lipid membranes were composed of two lipids, dioleoyl phosphatidylcholine and cardiolipin, and were adsorbed on gold and silicon substrates using two different tethering architectures based on functionalized oligoethylene glycol molecules of different lengths. In all of the investigated samples, the addition of cardiolipin caused distinct structural rearrangement including crowding of ethylene glycol groups of the tethering molecules in the inner head region and a thinning of the lipid tail region. The incorporation of NhaA in the tethered bilayers following two different protocols is quantified, and the way protein incorporation modulates the structural properties of these membranes is detailed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Köhler
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, UMR 5525, VetAgro Sup, Grenoble INP, TIMC/SyNaBi, 38000 Grenoble, France
- Institut Laue-Langevin, 38042 Grenoble, France
| | | | - Jean-Pierre Alcaraz
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, UMR 5525, VetAgro Sup, Grenoble INP, TIMC/SyNaBi, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Andrew Nelson
- ANSTO-Sydney, New Illawarra Road, Lucas Heights, NSW 2234, Australia
| | - Donald K Martin
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, UMR 5525, VetAgro Sup, Grenoble INP, TIMC/SyNaBi, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - Marco Maccarini
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, UMR 5525, VetAgro Sup, Grenoble INP, TIMC/SyNaBi, 38000 Grenoble, France
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Weiss H, Cheng HW, Mars J, Li H, Merola C, Renner FU, Honkimäki V, Valtiner M, Mezger M. Structure and Dynamics of Confined Liquids: Challenges and Perspectives for the X-ray Surface Forces Apparatus. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2019; 35:16679-16692. [PMID: 31614087 PMCID: PMC6933819 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.9b01215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2019] [Revised: 10/15/2019] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
The molecular-scale structure and dynamics of confined liquids has increasingly gained relevance for applications in nanotechnology. Thus, a detailed knowledge of the structure of confined liquids on molecular length scales is of great interest for fundamental and applied sciences. To study confined structures under dynamic conditions, we constructed an in situ X-ray surface forces apparatus (X-SFA). This novel device can create a precisely controlled slit-pore confinement down to dimensions on the 10 nm scale by using a cylinder-on-flat geometry for the first time. Complementary structural information can be obtained by simultaneous force measurements and X-ray scattering experiments. The in-plane structure of liquids parallel to the slit pore and density profiles perpendicular to the confining interfaces are studied by X-ray scattering and reflectivity. The normal load between the opposing interfaces can be modulated to study the structural dynamics of confined liquids. The confinement gap distance is tracked simultaneously with nanometer precision by analyzing optical interference fringes of equal chromatic order. Relaxation processes can be studied by driving the system out of equilibrium by shear stress or compression/decompression cycles of the slit pore. The capability of the new device is demonstrated on the liquid crystal 4'-octyl-4-cyano-biphenyl (8CB) in its smectic A (SmA) mesophase. Its molecular-scale structure and orientation confined in 100 nm to 1.7 μm slit pores was studied under static and dynamic nonequilibrium conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henning Weiss
- Max
Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Hsiu-Wei Cheng
- Institute
of Applied Physics, Vienna Institute of
Technology, Wiedner Hauptstrasse 8-10/E134, 1040 Wien, Austria
| | - Julian Mars
- Max
Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz, Germany
- Institute
of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University
Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Hailong Li
- Max
Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Claudia Merola
- Institute
of Applied Physics, Vienna Institute of
Technology, Wiedner Hauptstrasse 8-10/E134, 1040 Wien, Austria
| | - Frank Uwe Renner
- Institute
for Materials Research, Hasselt University, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Veijo Honkimäki
- ESRF-European
Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Avenue des Martyrs 71, 38043 Grenoble, Cedex 9, France
| | - Markus Valtiner
- Institute
of Applied Physics, Vienna Institute of
Technology, Wiedner Hauptstrasse 8-10/E134, 1040 Wien, Austria
- Max-Planck-Institut
für Eisenforschung GmbH, Max-Planck-Strasse 1, 40237 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Markus Mezger
- Max
Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz, Germany
- Institute
of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University
Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany
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6
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Welbourn R, Clarke S. New insights into the solid–liquid interface exploiting neutron reflectivity. Curr Opin Colloid Interface Sci 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cocis.2019.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Schwörer F, Trapp M, Xu X, Soltwedel O, Dzubiella J, Steitz R, Dahint R. Drastic Swelling of Lipid Oligobilayers by Polyelectrolytes: A Potential Molecular Model for the Internal Structure of Lubricating Films in Mammalian Joints. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2018; 34:1287-1299. [PMID: 29251938 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.7b03229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Osteoarthritis is the most common arthropathy in western civilization. It is primarily caused by the degeneration of lipid-coated cartilage, leading to increased friction in joints. Hyaluronic acid (HA), a negatively charged polysaccharide and the main component of the synovial fluid, is held responsible for joint lubrication. It is believed that HA, adsorbed to the lipid-coated cartilage, forms a protective layer against wear. Studies have shown that the concentration and molecular weight (MW) of HA are reduced in joints suffering from osteoarthritis. On the basis of these observations, local joint injections of HA or mixtures of HA and surface-active phospholipids (SAPLs) have been applied as medical cures to restore the functionality of the joints in a procedure called viscosupplementation. However, this cure is still disputed, and no consensus has been reached with respect to optimum HA concentration and MW. To provide detailed insight in the structural rearrangement of lipid films upon contact with HA or polymeric analogues, we studied the interaction of the polyelectrolyte poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) with surface-bound oligobilayers of 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) by neutron reflectivity (NR) and ellipsometry. Using this model system, we found a drastic swelling of the lipid films as a function of PAH concentration, whose strength compares to that in previous studies on HA incubation. In contrast, no significant dependence of film thickness on PAH MW was observed. A detailed picture of the film architecture was developed which inter alia shows that charged PAH is adsorbed to the lipid headgroups, leading to electrostatic repulsion. The swelling behavior is well explained by the equilibrium of Coulomb and van der Waals interactions in a DLVO-based model. Our detailed structural analysis of the PAH/lipid interfacial layer may help to elucidate the mechanisms of viscosupplementation and derive a structure-function relationship for the lubricating interface in mammalian joints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felicitas Schwörer
- Applied Physical Chemistry, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg , Im Neuenheimer Feld 253, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Marcus Trapp
- Institute for Soft Matter and Functional Materials, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin , Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109 Berlin, Germany
| | - Xiao Xu
- Institute for Soft Matter and Functional Materials, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin , Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109 Berlin, Germany
- Institut für Physik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin , Newtonstr. 15, 12159 Berlin, Germany
| | - Olaf Soltwedel
- Max Planck Society Outstation at the Heinz-Maier-Leibnitz-Zentrum (MLZ) , Lichtenbergstr. 1, 85747 Garching, Germany
- Physics Department, Technische Universität München , James-Franck-Str. 1, 85747, München, Germany
| | - Joachim Dzubiella
- Institute for Soft Matter and Functional Materials, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin , Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109 Berlin, Germany
- Institut für Physik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin , Newtonstr. 15, 12159 Berlin, Germany
| | - Roland Steitz
- Institute for Soft Matter and Functional Materials, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin , Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109 Berlin, Germany
| | - Reiner Dahint
- Applied Physical Chemistry, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg , Im Neuenheimer Feld 253, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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Narayanan T, Wacklin H, Konovalov O, Lund R. Recent applications of synchrotron radiation and neutrons in the study of soft matter. CRYSTALLOGR REV 2017. [DOI: 10.1080/0889311x.2016.1277212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Hanna Wacklin
- European Spallation Source ERIC, Lund, Sweden
- Physical Chemistry, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | | | - Reidar Lund
- Department of Chemistry, University of Oslo, Blindern, Oslo, Norway
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9
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Abstract
In living organisms the aqueous medium is used for providing low friction forces. This is achieved by synergistic actions of different biomolecules that together accomplish a high load bearing capacity and sustain an easily sheared water layer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andra Dėdinaitė
- KTH Royal Institute of Technology
- School of Chemical Science and Engineering
- Department of Chemistry
- Division of Surface and Corrosion Science
- Drottning Kristinas väg 51
| | - Per M. Claesson
- KTH Royal Institute of Technology
- School of Chemical Science and Engineering
- Department of Chemistry
- Division of Surface and Corrosion Science
- Drottning Kristinas väg 51
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Trapp M, Steitz R, Kreuzer M, Strobl M, Rose M, Dahint R. BioRef II-Neutron reflectometry with relaxed resolution for fast, kinetic measurements at HZB. THE REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS 2016; 87:105112. [PMID: 27802707 DOI: 10.1063/1.4964294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
We present an upgrade to the time-of-flight neutron reflectometer BioRef at the research reactor BER II of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie (HZB). Through the integration of an additional chopper into the existing setup, the available wavelength resolution is significantly extended. Now two distinct operation modes can be used: a high resolution mode with Δλ/λ ranging from 1% to 5%, which allows for the investigation of thick films up to 4000 Å, and a high flux mode with Δλ/λ = 7%-11%. In the high flux mode, reflectivity curves from 0.007 Å-1 to 0.2 Å-1 with three angular settings can be recorded in 7 min. For a single angular setting and its respective window in Q-space, a time resolution of even less than 4 min is reached. The different configurations are documented by respective measurements (a) on a Ni-Ti multilayer and (b) the swelling kinetics of a solid-supported phospholipid coating upon incubation in a polyelectrolyte solution.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Trapp
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109 Berlin, Germany
| | - R Steitz
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109 Berlin, Germany
| | - M Kreuzer
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109 Berlin, Germany
| | - M Strobl
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109 Berlin, Germany
| | - M Rose
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109 Berlin, Germany
| | - R Dahint
- Applied Physical Chemistry, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 253, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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Kreuzer M, Trapp M, Dahint R, Steitz R. Polymer-Induced Swelling of Solid-Supported Lipid Membranes. MEMBRANES 2015; 6:membranes6010002. [PMID: 26703746 PMCID: PMC4812408 DOI: 10.3390/membranes6010002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2015] [Revised: 12/04/2015] [Accepted: 12/15/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
In this paper, we study the interaction of charged polymers with solid-supported 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) membranes by in-situ neutron reflectivity. We observe an enormous swelling of the oligolamellar lipid bilayer stacks after incubation in solutions of poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) in D2O. The positively charged polyelectrolyte molecules interact with the lipid bilayers and induce a drastic increase in their d-spacing by a factor of ~4. Temperature, time, and pH influence the swollen interfacial lipid linings. From our study, we conclude that electrostatic interactions introduced by the adsorbed PAH are the main cause for the drastic swelling of the lipid coatings. The DMPC membrane stacks do not detach from their solid support at T > Tm. Steric interactions, also introduced by the PAH molecules, are held responsible for the stabilizing effect. We believe that this novel system offers great potential for fundamental studies of biomembrane properties, keeping the membrane’s natural fluidity and freedom, decoupled from a solid support at physiological conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Kreuzer
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, Berlin 14109, Germany.
| | - Marcus Trapp
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, Berlin 14109, Germany.
| | - Reiner Dahint
- Angewandte Physikalische Chemie, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 253, Heidelberg 69120, Germany.
| | - Roland Steitz
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, Berlin 14109, Germany.
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