Our objective is to investigate the design of sterically stabilized hybrid biomaterials through the self-assembly of a binary mixture composed of amphiphilic molecular species, such as PEGylated lipids, and phospholipids. The stable hybrid vesicles can be formed through the self-assembly of amphiphilic molecules in the presence of a suitable solvent. We use a Molecular Dynamics-based mesoscopic simulation technique called Dissipative Particle Dynamics to simultaneously resolve the aggregation dynamics, structure and morphology of the hybrid aggregate. In addition, we have extended our investigations to introduce Janus nanoparticles into the system to study the interactions of various sized nanoparticles with the hairy vesicles and the methods to harness the interactions between them by tuning the relative sizes of PEG chains and nanoparticles, the concentration of hairy lipids, and the relative interaction strength between lipid species and nanoparticles. The results of our investigations can be used for the design and prediction of novel hybrid soft materials for applications in the encapsulation and delivery of therapeutic agents.

Interfacial adsorption of patchy nanoparticles onto hairy vesicles

251st National Meeting (2016)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.