Self-Assembly and Subsequent Accumulation of Lipid Nanotubes at Oil/Water Interfaces

Hiroharu YUI, Daisuke SAWADA, Shoko KAMIYA, Tsuguo SAWADA, Toshimi SHIMIZU
2004 Analytical Sciences  
We utilized oil/water interfaces as a new field to produce lipid nanotubes (LNTs), which are formed by the self-assembly of lipid molecules, and possess hollow nanometer-wide cylindrical structures. Compared to the self-assembling field in bulk water, oil/water interfaces produced shorter lipids nanotubes less than 10 µm long more efficiently. In addition, we found that the oil/water interface accumulates lipid nanotubes spontaneously. This methodology is favorable to fabricate LNTs as new
more » ... fluidic devices, or sensors that require accumulation and alignment in two dimensions.
doi:10.2116/analsci.20.1549 pmid:15566148 fatcat:ltsuacerkzejxfoqcxf4wzeiei