Integrated nanoreactor systems: triggering the release and mixing of compounds inside single vesicles.
We present a method that allows the on-demand release and mixing of zepto- to femtoliter volumes of solutions in the interior of vesicular nanoreactors. The reactors comprise a nested system of lipid vesicles, part of which release their cargo in the interior of the others during a thermotropic phase transition. The performance of individual reactors immobilized on glass is characterized using confocal microscopy and a fluorescent dye that reports dilution during the release. The results confirm the predicted temperature-induced response and reveal a release transition width of 3 degrees C with a half time of approximately 1 min.
Bolinger
Pierre-Yves
PY
LCPPM, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
Stamou
Dimitrios
D
Vogel
Horst
H
D008051:Lipid Bilayers / Q000737:chemistry*; D008081:Liposomes / Q000737:chemistry*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D010316:Particle Size; D010539:Permeability; D013696:Temperature
D008051:Lipid Bilayers; D008081:Liposomes