Vesicle deposition on hydrophilic solid surfaces

Abstract

Supported lipid bilayers (SLBs) are popular as model systems for cell membranes and are promising for future applications in diagnostic devices and biomimetics. However, the mechanism of SLB formation is not fully understood. In this study, the deposition process of a single small unilamellar vesicle on hydrophilic supports is explored by dissipative particle dynamics. Depending on the lipid tail hydrophobicity and vesicle size, there exist three distinctive pathways of vesicle deposition, involving non-disintegrated, partially disintegrated, and completely disintegrated vesicle. A morphological phase diagram is presented and it reveals that a vesicle with weak tail hydrophobicity and small size tends to be completely disintegrated upon deposition. In contrast, the adsorption of an intact vesicle is observed as it possesses strong tail hydrophobicity and large size. Moreover, our simulation results clearly indicate that the deposition process of a vesicle onto the solid surfaces can be adjusted by altering the vesicular membrane tension and the interaction strength between the lipid head and the solid support. Finally, the deposition process of multiple vesicles on the hydrophilic solid surface is also investigated. The result shows that the fusion of vesicles has a tendency to hinder the formation of a SLB.