title: Tubulation and aggregation of spherical nanoparticles adsorbed on vesicles.
abstract: How nanoparticles interact with biomembranes is central for understanding their bioactivity. In this Letter, we report novel tubular membrane structures induced by adsorbed spherical nanoparticles, which we obtain from energy minimization. The membrane tubules enclose linear aggregates of particles and protrude into the vesicles. The high stability of the particle-filled tubules implies strongly attractive, membrane-mediated interactions between the particles. The tubular structures may provide a new route to encapsulate nanoparticles reversibly in vesicles.
authors.affiliation: Department of Theory and Bio-Systems, Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Science Park Golm, 14424 Potsdam, Germany.
authors.forename: Amir Houshang
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Bahrami
authors.forename: Reinhard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lipowsky
authors.forename: Thomas R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Weikl
mesh_terms: D008566:Membranes / Q000737:chemistry*; D008956:Models, Chemical; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D009010:Monte Carlo Method; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D013816:Thermodynamics