Laterally nanostructured vesicles, polygonal bilayer sheets, and segmented wormlike micelles.
We report the formation of vesicles with a laterally nanostructured membrane by self-assembly of "miktoarm" star terpolymers, that is, macromolecules with three chemically distinct arms. The lateral structure consists of approximately hexagonally packed fluorocarbon channels with 4.1 nm radii, immersed in a continuous, two-dimensional hydrocarbon bilayer. We also show that the assembly of these vesicles proceeds via metastable polygonal, faceted bilayer sheets.
Li
Zhibo
Z
Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA.
Hillmyer
Marc A
MA
Lodge
Timothy P
TP
D003102:Colloids / Q000737:chemistry*; D003460:Crystallization / Q000379:methods; D008081:Liposomes / Q000737:chemistry*; D046911:Macromolecular Substances / Q000737:chemistry; D008422:Materials Testing; D008560:Membrane Fluidity; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D008823:Micelles; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D010316:Particle Size; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D013499:Surface Properties
D003102:Colloids; D008081:Liposomes; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D008823:Micelles; D011108:Polymers