Amphiphilic block copolymers combined with lipid-based amphiphiles are capable of self-assembling into hybrid bilayers with properties of both lipid and polymer that are not always predictable. We aim to understand and predict the properties of polymer and hybrid vesicle membranes to better exploit them for use in drug delivery and modulating surface properties in biosensing devices. One of those key properties is the surface charge of vesicles, which influences how a membrane will interact with other materials and biological tissues, as well as the biological fate of vesicle assemblies in vivo. To study the modulation of surface charge in hybrid lipid/polymer bilayers, we have used DLS and zeta potential analysis to investigate the effects of incorporating charged lipids and polymers into hybrid lipid-polymer vesicles. We have found that polymer amphiphiles containing polyethylene oxide headgroups have a surprisingly strong ability to screen charged lipids within the vesicle membrane, complicating the task of predicting the surface properties of hybrid vesicles. To explain these results and provide a straightforward way of predicting the surface properties of synthetic, multicomponent membranes, we have devised a model that allows us to predict the zeta potential of hybrid vesicles quantitatively. We anticipate that our approach will greatly facilitate designing and modulating zeta potential and other surface properties of biomimetic membrane materials.

Modulating and modeling charge of hybrid lipid/polymer vesicles

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

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