title: Surface patterning of carbon nanotubes can enhance their penetration through a phospholipid bilayer.
abstract: Nanotube patterning may occur naturally upon the spontaneous self-assembly of biomolecules onto the surface of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). It results in periodically alternating bands of surface properties, ranging from relatively hydrophilic to hydrophobic, along the axis of the nanotube. Single-chain mean field (SCMF) theory has been used to estimate the free energy of systems in which a surface patterned nanotube penetrates a phospholipid bilayer. In contrast to unpatterned nanotubes with uniform surface properties, certain patterned nanotubes have been identified that display a relatively low and approximately constant system free energy (<±10 kT) as the nanotube traverses through the bilayer. These observations support the hypothesis that the spontaneous self-assembly of biomolecules on the surface of SWNTs may facilitate nanotube transduction through cell membranes.
authors.affiliation: Departament d'Enginyeria Quimica, Universitat Rovira i Virgili , 26 Av. dels Paisos Catalans, 43007 Tarragona, Spain.
authors.forename: Sergey
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pogodin
authors.forename: Nigel K H
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Slater
authors.forename: Vladimir A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Baulin
mesh_terms: D008051:Lipid Bilayers / Q000378:metabolism*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000378:metabolism*; D013499:Surface Properties; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D008051:Lipid Bilayers; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; D010743:Phospholipids