Hydrophobic gold nanoparticle self-assembly with phosphatidylcholine lipid: membrane-loaded and janus vesicles.
Hybrids of hydrophobic sub-2-nm-diameter dodecanethiol-coated Au nanoparticles and phosphatidylcholine (PC) lipid vesicles made by extrusion were examined by cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryoTEM). The nanoparticles loaded the vesicles as a dense monolayer in the hydrophobic core of the lipid bilayer, without disrupting their structure. Nanoparticle-vesicle hybrids could also be made by a dialysis process, mixing preformed vesicles with detergent-stabilized nanoparticles, but this approach led to vesicles only partially loaded with nanoparticles that segregated into hemispherical domains, forming a Janus vesicle-nanoparticle hybrid structure.
Rasch
Michael R
MR
Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas Materials Institute, and Center for Nano and Molecular Science and Technology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712-1062, USA.
Rossinyol
Emma
E
Hueso
Jose L
JL
Goodfellow
Brian W
BW
Arbiol
Jordi
J
Korgel
Brian A
BA
D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry*; D008563:Membrane Lipids / Q000737:chemistry*; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines / Q000737:chemistry*
D008563:Membrane Lipids; D010713:Phosphatidylcholines; D006046:Gold