We present the use of nanocellulose paper to promote the facile and high yield assembly giant liposomes. Giant liposomes are spherical structures composed of phospholipids or amphiphilic block copolymers that resemble biological cells. The biomimetic property of giant liposomes makes them useful for applications ranging from bottom-up synthetic biology to drug delivery. The process of assembly on conventionally used glass and polymeric planar surfaces is energetically unfavorable. We show that the nanoscale curvature of the entangled nanocellulose fibers reduces the energy of formation of giant liposomes. Thermodynamic modeling shows that the curvature of the fibers results in the formation of GUVs becoming spontaneous on cellulose substrates. Use of nanocellulose paper results in up to a 100,000-fold reduction in costs while increasing yields compared to extant techniques. These results thus open new avenues for the use of nanocellulose and cellulosic materials as substrates for the assembly of functional biomacromolecular materials.

Cellulose and nanocellulose papers as substrates for the assembly of giant liposomes useful for bottom-up synthetic biology and drug delivery

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

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