title: Substrate-supported lipid nanotube arrays.
abstract: This Communication describes the self-assembly of phospholipids into lipid nanotubes inside nanoporous anodic aluminum oxide substrate. Orientations of the lipid molecules in such lipid nanoscale structures were verified by high-resolution spin labeling EPR at 95 GHz. The static order parameter of lipids in such nanotube arrays was determined from low-temperature EPR spectra and was found to be exceptionally high, Sstatic approximately 0.9. We propose that substrate-supported lipid nanotube arrays have potential for building robust biochips and biosensors in which rigid nanoporous substrates protect the bilayer surface from contamination. The total bilayer surface in the lipid nanotube arrays is much greater than that in the planar substrate-supported membranes. The lipid nanotube arrays seem to be suitable for developing patterned lipid deposition and could be potentially used for patterning of membrane-associated molecules.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, North Carolina State University, 2620 Yarbrough Drive, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-8204, USA. alex_smirnov@ncsu.edu
authors.forename: Alex I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Smirnov
authors.forename: Oleg G
authors.initials: OG
authors.lastname: Poluektov
mesh_terms: D000537:Aluminum Oxide / Q000737:chemistry; D016880:Anisotropy; D004578:Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy; D008051:Lipid Bilayers / Q000737:chemistry*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D008051:Lipid Bilayers; D010743:Phospholipids; D000537:Aluminum Oxide