Structure, organization and reactivity in organic monolayers: impacts on material functionality

这个多学科项目主要研究空气和水界面或固体表面涂层的单分子厚膜的结构、组织和性能。这项研究的主要目的是利用脂类、类脂类似物和表面活性剂来研究这些现象，并利用这些知识来了解生物膜的组织结构，开发新的材料/表面涂层，以及评估环境污染对生物系统的影响。 脂膜和表面活性剂膜的物理性质对于理解生物过程和工业应用(如乳剂技术、制药、药物输送、食品工业、个人护理产品等)至关重要。气-水界面的朗缪尔单分子膜通常被用作生物膜的模型，作为预组织薄膜材料和了解界面自组装过程的一种手段。这种单分子膜的性质是由不同分子间相互作用的平衡决定的，我们将使用表面活性剂/脂类化学结构和外部参数(温度、pH、盐)的系统变化来探索这种相互作用。然后，我们将这种单层性质的知识用于功能材料的设计，即创建坚固的薄膜涂层，然后赋予表面特定的功能，例如生物兼容性、蛋白质或细胞结合能力。这使得它们能够用于生物应用，如蛋白质分离、生物传感和检测。最后，了解非共价相互作用对脂膜的影响，使我们能够评估大气污染物引起的生物膜结构和性质的变化。我们研究了当暴露在烟雾中常见的污染物时，对覆盖在肺表面并使人得以呼吸的脂蛋白膜的化学损害。这种化学损害可能是在空气质量低的日子里呼吸功能立即受损的原因。这项研究可能会导致新的治疗方法或方法来检测有害的污染水平。

This multidisciplinary program focuses on the structure, organization and properties of one molecule thick films either at the interface between air and water or coating a solid surface. The main objectives of this research are to investigate these phenomena using lipids, lipid analogues and surfactants and to use this knowledge to understand biological membrane organization, to develop new materials/surface coatings and to evaluate the effect of environmental pollution on biological systems The physical properties of lipid membranes and surfactant films are critical for understanding biological processes and industrial applications (e.g. emulsion technology, pharmaceuticals, drug delivery, food industry, personal care products etc.). Langmuir monolayers at the air-water interface are commonly used as models of biological membranes, as a means to pre-organize materials for thin films and to understand self-assembly processes at interfaces. The properties of such monomolecular films are governed by a balance of different intermolecular interactions which we will probe using systematic variation of the surfactant/lipid chemical structure and external parameters (temperature, pH, salt). We then use this knowledge of monolayer properties for the design of functional materials, i.e. creating robust thin films coatings which then confer specific functionalities to the surface, e.g. biocompatibility, protein or cell binding capacity. This enables their use in bioapplications such as protein separations, biosensing and detection. Finally, understanding the influence of non-covalent interactions on lipid films enables us to evaluate biological membrane structure and property changes induced by atmospheric pollutants. We study the chemical damage to the lipid-protein film, which coats the lung surface and enables breathing, upon exposure to pollutants common in smog. This chemical damage may be responsible for the immediate impairment of respiratory function on days when air quality is low. This research may lead to new therapies or methods of detecting damaging levels of pollution.