title: Vesicle formation by proton transfer driven short-tailed fatty acids of C4-C8 chain length in water.
abstract: Ultrashort single-chain fatty acids self-assemble to form vesicles under certain proton-driven conditions. The protonation provides a larger charge area around the hydrophilic carbonyl headgroups, and proton shift as the key driving parameter was studied. The ultrashort fatty acids (C4-C8) formed stable unilamellar vesicles predominantly through out the whole range of tested pH levels (6.5-9.5). A proton-driven self-assembly process and effects on the phase transition were characterized by dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy and cryo-transmission electron microscopy. In particular, we studied in greater detail the molecular packing characteristics of FA vesicles for geometric reasons and the protonation effect changes the molecular surface charge and further carboxylic acid headgroup motion. This study enhances the understanding of the physicochemical specificity of these membrane vesicles, and may facilitate the alteration of membrane function caused by FAs.
authors.affiliation: College of Food & Biology Engineering, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310035, China. spdeng@mail.zjgsu.edu.cn and Zhejiang Provincial Key Lab for Chem & Bio Processing Technology of Agricultural Products, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310023, China.
authors.forename: Li-Chun
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9465-5256
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Zhejiang Provincial Key Lab for Chem & Bio Processing Technology of Agricultural Products, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310023, China.
authors.forename: Hong-Peng
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Zhejiang Provincial Key Lab for Chem & Bio Processing Technology of Agricultural Products, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310023, China.
authors.forename: Yu-Hao
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.affiliation: College of Food & Biology Engineering, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310035, China. spdeng@mail.zjgsu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Shao-Ping
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Deng