title: Effect of protic ionic liquid nanostructure on phospholipid vesicle formation.
abstract: The formation of bilayer-based lyotropic liquid crystals and vesicle dispersions by phospholipids in a range of protic ionic liquids has been investigated by polarizing optical microscopy using isothermal penetration scans, differential scanning calorimetry, and small angle X-ray and neutron scattering. The stability and structure of both lamellar phases and vesicle dispersions is found to depend primarily on the underlying amphiphilic nanostructure of the ionic liquid itself. This finding has significant implications for the use of ionic liquids in soft and biological materials and for biopreservation, and demonstrates how vesicle structure and properties can be controlled through selection of cation and anion. For a given ionic liquid, systematic trends in bilayer thickness, chain-melting temperature and enthalpy increase with phospholipid acyl chain length, paralleling behaviour in aqueous systems.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry, F11, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia. gregory.warr@sydney.edu.au.
authors.forename: Saffron J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Bryant
authors.affiliation: Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Locked Bag 2001, Kirrawee DC NSW 2232, Australia.
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.affiliation: Discipline of Chemistry, The University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW 2308, Australia.
authors.forename: Rob
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8781-7854
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Atkin
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry, F11, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia. gregory.warr@sydney.edu.au.
authors.forename: Gregory G
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6893-1253
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Warr