title: Liposomes tethered to a biopolymer film through the hydrophobic effect create a highly effective lubricating surface.
abstract: Liposomal coatings are formed on films of a biopolymer, hydrophobically modified chitosan (hm-chitosan), containing dodecyl groups as hydrophobes along the polymer backbone. The alkyl groups insert themselves into the liposome bilayer through hydrophobic interactions and thus tether liposomes, leading to a densely packed liposome layer on the film surface. Such liposomal surfaces exhibit effective lubrication properties due to their high degree of hydration, and reduce the coefficient of friction to the biologically-relevant range. The compliancy and robustness of these tethered liposomes allow retention on the film surface upon repeated applications of shear. Such liposome coated films have potential applications in biolubrication.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118, USA. vj@tulane.edu.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Arora
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Boonkaew
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Raghavan
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Kaplan
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: N S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Pesika
authors.forename: V T
authors.initials: VT
authors.lastname: John
mesh_terms: D015060:1,2-Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000737:chemistry; D001704:Biopolymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D048271:Chitosan / Q000737:chemistry; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D008081:Liposomes / Q000737:chemistry*; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D001704:Biopolymers; D008081:Liposomes; D015060:1,2-Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine; C081581:colfosceril palmitate; D048271:Chitosan