Nanomechanics of Self-Assembled Lipid Tubules

具有结晶双层壁的自组装脂质小管是在许多应用中具有前景的超分子结构，包括模板矿化、药物递送系统、生物相容性纳米反应器和纳米流体。这项研究的目的是系统地研究当地的机械性能（刚度，杨？的模量，和失败）的脂质小管的径向压痕与原子力显微镜尖端和有限元分析。具体目标概述如下：（1）通过改变微管形成的条件和脂质的化学结构，合成具有不同直径、壁厚、化学组成和分子顺序的脂质微管，（2）研究微管形态与力学性质之间的关系，（3）研究化学组成、分子间相互作用，研究了双层壁的波纹效应对脂小管局部力学性能的影响，详细了解了脂小管的形态、化学组成、聚合作用和波纹的双层壁将提供一个深入了解机制的机械加强脂管在分子水平上为未来的生物和纳米技术。参与这项研究的学生将在生物分子材料，纳米力学，化学和纳米技术的跨学科领域接受培训，并体验实验和模拟方法相结合的价值，以解决生物分子材料在纳米尺度上的机械问题。外联活动将促进代表性不足的群体和高中毕业生的参与，这将使广大社区受益。

Self-Assembled lipid tubules with crystalline bilayer walls are supramolecular architectures with promise in a number of applications including templated mineralization, drug delivery systems, biocompatible nanoreactors, and nanofluidics. The objective of this proposed research is to systematically study the local mechanical properties (stiffness, Young?s modulus, and failure) of lipid tubules by radial indentation with an atomic force microscope tip and finite-element analysis. The specific aims are summarized as follows: (1) synthesize lipid tubules with different diameters, wall thicknesses, chemical composition, and molecular order by modifying the conditions of tubule formation and the chemical structures of lipids, (2) study the relationship between tubule morphologies and mechanical properties, (3) investigate the effect of chemical composition, intermolecular interaction, and photopolymerization in bilayer walls on the mechanical properties of lipid tubules, and (4) study the effect of the rippling of bilayer walls on the local mechanical properties of lipid tubules.A detailed understanding of how the mechanical properties of lipid tubules are affected by the morphology, chemical composition, polymerization, and rippling of bilayer walls will provide an insight into the mechanism of mechanical reinforcement of lipid tubules at the molecular level for future bio- and nanotechnology. The students, who are involved in this proposed research, will be trained in the interdisciplinary field of biomolecular materials, nanomechanics, chemistry, and nanotechnology, and experience the value of combining experimental and simulation approaches to solve the mechanical problems of biomolecular materials at the nanometer scale. The outreach activities will promote the participation of underrepresented groups and high school seniors, which will benefit the broad community.