Surface Ligand Density Research Articles

Deciphering Surface Ligand Density of Colloidal Semiconductor Nanocrystals: Shape Matters.

Surface chemistry of colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) is of paramount importance because it profoundly impacts their physical and chemical properties, processing, and performance. Herein, we report the effect of the shape of ZnS NCs in terms of nanodots, nanorods, and nanoplatelets (NPL) on the surface ligand density (LD) of the commonly used oleylamine (OLA) ligand by combining three experimental quantification techniques (e.g., thermogravimetric analysis-differential scanning calorimetry, 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry) with the semiempirical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Consistent results on the surface LD derived by the aforementioned three independent techniques were obtained, presenting an ascending order of LDdots < LDrods < LDNPLs. MD simulations reveal that the highest LD for ZnS NPLs can be attributed to their extremely flat and uniform surfaces with regular distribution of surface Zn atoms for the OLA molecules to achieve parallel and tight stacking, while for ZnS nanodots and nanorods, their surfaces may have staggered arrangement and multisteps, making it unlikely for the OLA ligand to adopt the tight ligand stacking mode. The finding revealed in this work not only sheds light on the constitution of the molecule ligand shell of NCs, which is helpful for their rational morphology control, but also provides an additional and important knob for tuning their chemical functionality.

Suppressed Thermal Quenching via Tetrafluoroborate-Induced Surface Reconstruction of CsPbBr3 Nanocrystals for Efficient Perovskite Light-Emitting Diodes.

Although metal-halide perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) have garnered significant attention for optoelectronic applications, the presence of electrically insulating organic ligands in CsPbBr3 NCs hinders efficient charge injection and transportation in light-emitting diodes (LEDs). A common approach to address this issue involves ligand exchange with shorter ligands and precise control of the surface ligand density through additional purification steps. Nevertheless, the practical application of these methods has been hindered by their poor structural integrity and high surface-defect density, which remain a challenge. Our investigation reveals that NOBF4 treatment effectively replaces native ligands with BF4- anions, in which BF4- anions are readily coordinated with the positively charged CsPbBr3 surface metal centers, thereby improving the photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) and thermal stability. In particular, the presence of BF4- anions coordinated at CsPbBr3 surfaces efficiently suppresses the pathway of excitons toward thermally activated nonradiative recombination, leading to minimal thermal quenching and superior device performance in green-emitting PeLEDs. Notably, PeLEDs based on CsPbBr3 NCs with the reconstructed surface via NOBF4 treatment exhibit an improved current efficiency of 31.12 cd/A and an external quantum efficiency of 11.24%, increased by 2.8 times compared to that of the pristine sample, indicating the enhanced hole-electron injection and transport into the CsPbBr3 NCs. Therefore, our results highlight the potential of NOBF4 as a versatile reagent for the ligand exchange and surface passivation of CsPbBr3 NCs, thereby offering promising prospects for the development of stable, high-performance PeLEDs.

Long-range order enabled stability in quantum dot light-emitting diodes.

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) based on perovskite quantum dots (QDs) have produced external quantum efficiencies (EQEs) of more than 25% with narrowband emission1,2, but these LEDs have limited operating lifetimes. We posit that poor long-range ordering in perovskite QD films-variations in dot size, surface ligand density and dot-to-dot stacking-inhibits carrier injection, resulting in inferior operating stability because of the large bias required to produce emission in these LEDs. Here we report a chemical treatment to improve the long-range order of perovskite QD films: the diffraction intensity from the repeating QD units increases three-fold compared with that of controls. We achieve this using a synergistic dual-ligand approach: an iodide-rich agent (aniline hydroiodide) for anion exchange and a chemically reactive agent (bromotrimethylsilane) that produces a strong acid that in situ dissolves smaller QDs to regulate size and more effectively removes less conductive ligands to enable compact, uniform and defect-free films. These films exhibit high conductivity (4 × 10-4 S m-1), which is 2.5-fold higher than that of the control, and represents the highest conductivity recorded so far among perovskite QDs. The high conductivity ensures efficient charge transportation, enabling red perovskite QD-LEDs that generate a luminance of 1,000 cd m-2 at a record-low voltage of 2.8 V. The EQE at this luminance is more than 20%. Furthermore, the stability of the operating device is 100 times better than previous red perovskite LEDs at EQEs of more than 20%.

Impact of Surface Ligand Identity and Density on the Thermodynamics of H Atom Uptake at Polyoxovanadate-Alkoxide Surfaces.

An understanding of how molecular structure influences the thermodynamics of H atom transfer is critical to designing efficient catalysts for reductive chemistries. Herein, we report experimental and theoretical investigations summarizing structure-function relationships of polyoxovanadate-alkoxides that influence bond dissociation free energies of hydroxide ligands located at the surface of the cluster. We evaluate the thermochemical descriptors of O-H bond strength for a series of clusters, namely [V6O13-x(OH)x(TRIOLR)2]-2 (x = 2, 4, 6; R = NO2, Me) and [V6O11-x(OMe)2(OH)x(TRIOLNO2)2]-2, via computational analysis and open circuit potential measurements. Our findings reveal that modifications to the TRIOL ligand (e.g., changing from the previously reported electron withdrawing nitro-backed ligand to the electron-donating methyl variant) have limited influence on the strength of surface O-H bonds as a result of near complete thermodynamic compensation in these systems (i.e., correlated changes in redox potential and cluster basicity). In contrast, changes in surface density of alkoxide ligands via direct alkoxylation of the polyoxovanadate-alkoxide surface result in measurable increases in bond dissociation free energies of surface O-H bonds for the mixed-valent derivatives. Our findings indicate that the extent of (de)localization of electron density across the cluster core has an impact on the bond dissociation free energies of surface O-H bonds across all oxidation states of the assembly.

Effect of surface ligand density on near-infrared electrochemiluminescence of glutathione-stabilized Au nanoclusters

Here, we report the crucial role of surface ligand density in electrochemiluminescence (ECL) of water-soluble Au NCs stabilized with glutathione ligands. The Au NCs, having four distinct surface ligand densities, displayed unique ECL features that were dependent on the surface ligand density of the NCs, similar to their fluorescence properties. The Au NCs displayed dual-wavelength ECL emissions at ∼620 nm and ∼820 nm. The ECL properties were significantly affected by the surface ligand density of the NCs, with lower densities resulting in enhanced ECL emission, particularly in the near-infrared region. This enhancement surpassed the near-infrared ECL emissions observed in other known ECL-active Au NCs, resulting in approximately a 9-fold improvement compared to well-established Au NCs stabilized with bovine serum albumin (BSA). In addition, the dual-emission features of the Au NCs stabilized with glutathione were attributed to the presence of two Au-S emission motifs related to different Au-S bonding environments resulting from varied surface ligand densities. These findings revealed the critical role of the surface ligand density in modulating not only the fluorescence of the Au NCs but also the ECL of NCs.

Fast Organic Cation Exchange in Colloidal Perovskite Quantum Dots toward Functional Optoelectronic Applications.

Colloidal quantum dots with lower surface ligand density are desired for preparing the active layer for photovoltaic, lighting, and other potential optoelectronic applications. In emerging perovskite quantum dots (PQDs), the diffusion of cations is thought to have a high energy barrier, relative to that of halide anions. Herein, we investigate the fast cross cation exchange approach in colloidal lead triiodide PQDs containing methylammonium (MA+) and formamidinium (FA+) organic cations, which exhibits a significantly lower exchange barrier than inorganic cesium (Cs+)-FA+ and Cs+-MA+ systems. First-principles calculations further suggest that the fast internal cation diffusion arises due to a lowering in structural distortions and the consequent decline in attractive cation-cation and cation-anion interactions in the presence of organic cation vacancies in mixed MA+-FA+ PQDs. Combining both experimental and theoretical evidence, we propose a vacancy-assisted exchange model to understand the impact of structural features and intermolecular interaction in PQDs with fewer surface ligands. Finally, for a realistic outcome, the as-prepared mixed-cation PQDs display better photostability and can be directly applied for one-step coated photovoltaic and photodetector devices, achieving a high photovoltaic efficiency of 15.05% using MA0.5FA0.5PbI3 PQDs and more precisely tunable detective spectral response from visible to near-infrared regions.

Using CombiCells, a platform for titration and combinatorial display of cell surface ligands, to study T-cell antigen sensitivity modulation by accessory receptors

Understanding cellular decisions due to receptor–ligand interactions at cell–cell interfaces has been hampered by the difficulty of independently varying the surface density of multiple different ligands. Here, we express the synthetic binder protein SpyCatcher, designed to form spontaneous covalent bonds with interactors carrying a Spytag, on the cell surface. Using this, we show that addition of different concentrations and combinations of native Spytag-fused ligands allows for the combinatorial display of ligands on cells within minutes. We use this combinatorial display of cell surface ligands—called CombiCells—to assess T cell antigen sensitivity and the impact of T cell co-stimulation and co-inhibition receptors. We find that the T cell receptor (TCR) displayed greater sensitivity to peptides on major-histocompatibility complexes (pMHC) than synthetic chimeric antigen receptor (CARs) and bi-specific T cell engager (BiTEs) display to their target antigen, CD19. While TCR sensitivity was greatly enhanced by CD2/CD58 interactions, CAR sensitivity was primarily but more modestly enhanced by LFA-1/ICAM-1 interactions. Lastly, we show that PD-1/PD-L1 engagement inhibited T cell activation triggered solely by TCR/pMHC interactions, as well as the amplified activation induced by CD2 and CD28 co-stimulation. The ability to easily produce cells with different concentrations and combinations of ligands should accelerate the study of receptor–ligand interactions at cell–cell interfaces.

Ligand‐Mediated Interaction of Nanoparticles with Lipid Membranes

AbstractWhile many studies are performed on the effect of ligands on the adhesion and endocytosis of NPs, the effects of ligand length and surface density on the NPs' interaction with lipid membranes are poorly investigated. Here, a computational investigation is presented, based on molecular dynamics of a coarse‐grained implicit‐solvent model, of the interaction between ligand‐decorated spherical NPs and lipid membranes. Specifically,the case is considered where the ligands interact attractively with lipid membranes only through their ends. In particular, the effects of ligand grafting density, ligand length, and strength of ligand‐lipid interaction is investigated on the degree of wrapping of the NP by the membrane and on the morphology of the membrane close to the NP. Whereas the degree of wrapping is found to increase with increasing the grafting density for a given interaction strength and ligand length, it decreases with ligand length for a given grafting density and interaction strength. For moderate values of the adhesion strength and long ligands, it is found that the end ligands form long linear clusters, which lead to an anisotropic conformation of the membrane around the NP. For short ligands, the wrapping of the membrane around the NP is almost complete, with the wrapped NP showing a regular faceted structure for high adhesion strength.

Influence of Surface Ligand Density and Particle Size on the Penetration of the Blood-Brain Barrier by Porous Silicon Nanoparticles.

Overcoming the blood-brain barrier (BBB) remains a significant challenge with regard to drug delivery to the brain. By incorporating targeting ligands, and by carefully adjusting particle sizes, nanocarriers can be customized to improve drug delivery. Among these targeting ligands, transferrin stands out due to the high expression level of its receptor (i.e., transferrin receptor) on the BBB. Porous silicon nanoparticles (pSiNPs) are a promising drug nanocarrier to the brain due to their biodegradability, biocompatibility, and exceptional drug-loading capacity. However, an in-depth understanding of the optimal nanoparticle size and transferrin surface density, in order to maximize BBB penetration, is still lacking. To address this gap, a diverse library of pSiNPs was synthesized using bifunctional poly(ethylene glycol) linkers with methoxy or/and carboxyl terminal groups. These variations allowed us to explore different transferrin surface densities in addition to particle sizes. The effects of these parameters on the cellular association, uptake, and transcytosis in immortalized human brain microvascular endothelial cells (hCMEC/D3) were investigated using multiple in vitro systems of increasing degrees of complexity. These systems included the following: a 2D cell culture, a static Transwell model, and a dynamic BBB-on-a-chip model. Our results revealed the significant impact of both the ligand surface density and size of pSiNPs on their ability to penetrate the BBB, wherein intermediate-level transferrin densities and smaller pSiNPs exhibited the highest BBB transportation efficiency in vitro. Moreover, notable discrepancies emerged between the tested in vitro assays, further emphasizing the necessity of using more physiologically relevant assays, such as a microfluidic BBB-on-a-chip model, for nanocarrier testing and evaluation.

Synthesis and characterization of chitosan-polyacrylamide cryogels for the purification of human IgG by IMAC

The performance of polyacrylamide-chitosan monolithic cryogels functionalized with iminodiacetic acid (IDA) was evaluated for the chromatographic separation of Immunoglobulin G (hIgG) from human serum using immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography (IMAC). Monoliths were prepared using the cryopolimerization technique, varying the type of chitosan (CS) used, and final concentrations of allyl glycidyl ether (AGE) and glutaraldehyde (GA), keeping the amount of acrylamide (AAm) and bisacrylamide (MBAm) constant. Cryogels were characterized by their surface area, SEM, FTIR, porosity, ligand density, mechanical resistance, and flow rate. Purification of hIgG was investigated using the PAAm-CS-GA-AGE-IDA cryogel chelated with Cu(II) and Ni(II) ions. The analysis demonstrated isolation of hIgG from human serum in a sodium phosphate buffer at pH 7.0 containing 2 mmol/L imidazole on PAAm-CS-GA-AGE-IDA-Ni(II) cryogel, with purity of 96% and purification factor of 12.4 (based on total protein concentration and radial immunodiffusion). The hIgG adsorption equilibrium data on the IDA-Ni(II) cryogel followed the Langmuir–Freundlich isotherm model, showing maximum hIgG binding capacity of 31.19 mg hIgG/g dry cryogel and a dissociation constant in the order of 10−7 to 10−8 mol/L. These results demonstrate the potential of PAAm/CS-based cryogels with chelated Ni(II) ions for the purification of hIgG from human serum using IMAC.

Probing Surface Chemistry Effects on Effective Diffusion Coefficients in Hierarchically Porous Media Through Multiscale Simulations

AbstractMultiscale diffusion simulations in a realistic macro‐mesoporosity model of a silica‐based chromatographic bed are performed to study the effect of relevant surface chemistry parameters, namely length and ligand density of surface‐tethered alkyl chains, on effective mesopore and bed diffusion coefficients. Efficient linker schemes enable integration of interfacial dynamics information obtained from molecular dynamics simulations at the single‐mesopore level into the hierarchical porosity and multiscale transport model.

Overcoming the Ambient Manufacturability-Performance Bottleneck in Perovskite Nanocrystal Emitters for Efficient Light-Emitting Diodes.

Colloidal perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) have risen rapidly in luminescence efficiency and color purity. However, their high performance requires careful and complex pre-treatment of precursors and precise regulation of the reaction atmosphere; otherwise, their emission will be weak and broad. To overcome these limitations, we develop a facile ligand exchange method using a new type of bidentate ligand, which is obtained by reacting cheap sulfur with tributylphosphine (S-TBP). During ligand exchange, the double bond between P and S atoms breaks and a single bond is formed between them, after which S-TBP switches into a bidentate ligand and binds to a perovskite NC at two points. With short-chain S-TBP ligands that have high spatial position resistance, both NC spacing and surface ligand density can be reduced, thereby improving carrier injection and transport. On the NC surface after ligand exchange, halogen vacancies were substantially filled, leading to a PbSP (Pb, S, and P elements) component-dominated shell that greatly decreases trap density and enhances material stability. The resulting perovskite NCs are stable and bright with a photoluminescence quantum yield of ~96%, and an external quantumefficiency of 22%. Note that our ligand-exchange strategy remains effective even when scaling up, which should accelerate commercialization.

Overcoming the Ambient Manufacturability‐Performance Bottleneck in Perovskite Nanocrystal Emitters for Efficient Light‐Emitting Diodes

AbstractColloidal perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) have risen rapidly in luminescence efficiency and color purity. However, their high performance requires careful and complex pre‐treatment of precursors and precise regulation of the reaction atmosphere; otherwise, their emission will be weak and broad. To overcome these limitations, we develop a facile ligand exchange method using a new type of bidentate ligand, which is obtained by reacting cheap sulfur with tributylphosphine (S‐TBP). During ligand exchange, the double bond between P and S atoms breaks and a single bond is formed between them, after which S‐TBP switches into a bidentate ligand and binds to a perovskite NC at two points. With short‐chain S‐TBP ligands that have high spatial position resistance, both NC spacing and surface ligand density can be reduced, thereby improving carrier injection and transport. On the NC surface after ligand exchange, halogen vacancies were substantially filled, leading to a PbSP (Pb, S, and P elements) component‐dominated shell that greatly decreases trap density and enhances material stability. The resulting perovskite NCs are stable and bright with a photoluminescence quantum yield of ≈96 %, and an external quantum efficiency of 22 %. Note that our ligand‐exchange strategy remains effective even when scaling up, which should accelerate commercialization.

Influence of Folate-Targeted Gold Nanoparticles on Subcellular Localization and Distribution into Lysosomes

The cell interaction, mechanism of cell entry and intracellular fate of surface decorated nanoparticles are known to be affected by the surface density of targeting agents. However, the correlation between nanoparticles multivalency and kinetics of the cell uptake process and disposition of intracellular compartments is complicated and dependent on a number of physicochemical and biological parameters, including the ligand, nanoparticle composition and colloidal properties, features of targeted cells, etc. Here, we have carried out an in-depth investigation on the impact of increasing folic acid density on the kinetic uptake process and endocytic route of folate (FA)-targeted fluorescently labelled gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). A set of AuNPs (15 nm mean size) produced by the Turkevich method was decorated with 0-100 FA-PEG3.5kDa-SH molecules/particle, and the surface was saturated with about 500 rhodamine-PEG2kDa-SH fluorescent probes. In vitro studies carried out using folate receptor overexpressing KB cells (KBFR-high) showed that the cell internalization progressively increased with the ligand surface density, reaching a plateau at 50:1 FA-PEG3.5kDa-SH/particle ratio. Pulse-chase experiments showed that higher FA density (50 FA-PEG3.5kDa-SH molecules/particle) induces more efficient particle internalization and trafficking to lysosomes, reaching the maximum concentration in lysosomes at 2 h, than the lower FA density of 10 FA-PEG3.5kDa-SH molecules/particle. Pharmacological inhibition of endocytic pathways and TEM analysis showed that particles with high folate density are internalized predominantly by a clathrin-independent process.

Overcoming charge transfer barriers via electrostatically stabilized CsPbBr3 nanocrystals for efficient perovskite light-emitting diodes

Electrically insulating organic ligands with long hydrocarbon chains cause bottlenecks, which hinder efficient charge injection and transportation in CsPbBr3 nanocrystal (NC)-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Shorter ligand exchange with precise control of the surface ligand density through additional purification processes is a common strategy used to improve charge transport in optoelectronics. However, practical applications have been limited owing to poor structural integrity and colloidal stability associated with low steric hindrance of short surface-capping ligands. This study reports a post-synthesis treatment on CsPbBr3 NCs using hydrazine monohydrobromide (N2H5Br; HZBr) containing NH3+ cations, NH2 groups, and Br− anions. Despite their short molecular structure, hydrazinium ligands produce a net positive charge at the NC surface, enhancing the colloidal dispersion of the CsPbBr3 NCs through electrostatic stabilization. Cryogenic photoluminescence spectroscopic analysis identified that the exciton-phonon coupling at the surface of CsPbBr3 NCs is significantly reduced by the presence of HZBr, preventing the formation of both permanent and transient exciton traps. Furthermore, enhanced surface stabilization to improve the radiative recombination was accomplished by excess Br− anions passivating Br− ion vacancies at the CsPbBr3 NC surfaces. LEDs based on the HZBr-treated CsPbBr3 NCs showed improved current efficiency of 12.16 cd/A, and the external quantum efficiency of 3.92% increased by a factor of 1.8, indicating enhanced hole-electron injection and transport into the CsPbBr3 NCs.

Mucus Penetration of Surface-Engineered Nanoparticles in Various pH Microenvironments.

The penetration behavior of nanoparticles in mucous depends on physicochemical properties of the nanoparticles and the mucus microenvironment, due to particle-mucin interactions and the presence of the mucin mesh space filtration effect. To date, it is still unclear how the surface properties of nanoparticles influence their mucus penetration behaviors in various physiological and pathophysiological conditions. In this study, we have prepared a comprehensive library of amine-, carboxyl-, and PEG-modified silica nanoparticles (SNPs) with controlled surface ligand densities. Using multiple particle tracking, we have studied the mechanism responsible for the mucus penetration behaviors of these SNPs. It was found that PEG- and amine-modified SNPs exhibited pH-independent immobilization under iso-density conditions, while carboxyl-modified SNPs exhibited enhanced movement only in weakly alkaline mucus. Biophysical characterizations demonstrated that amine- and carboxyl-modified SNPs were trapped in mucus due to electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonding with mucin. In contrast, high-density PEGylated surface formed a brush conformation that shields particle-mucin interactions. We have further investigated the surface property-dependent mucus penetration behavior using a murine airway distribution model. This study provides insights for designing efficient transmucosal nanocarriers for prevention and treatment of pulmonary diseases.

Effect of surface ligand density on the amplified spontaneous emission properties of CsPbI2Br quantum dots

In recent years, amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) properties of all-inorganic perovskite quantum dots have attracted the interest of many researchers. Here, CsPbI2Br quantum dots (QDs) were synthesized by the hot injection method, and the effect of the purification process on the ASE properties of QDs has been investigated. In the purification process, n-hexane and ethyl acetate (EtOAc) are used as solvent and antisolvent, respectively. The results show that the volume ratio of n-hexane vs EtOAc has a remarkable effect on the optical performance. When the volume ratio is 1:5, the QDs have a larger size which increases the light scattering and absorption cross-section, thus achieving the lowest ASE threshold of 0.301 mJ/cm2. This work not only provides a facile strategy to obtain a low threshold of CsPbI2Br QDs but also enriches the application prospects of perovskite lasers.

A Large-format Polyacrylamide Gel with Controllable Matrix Mechanics for Mammalian Cell Culture and Conditioned Media Production.

Tissue culture plastic has been used for routine cell culture and in vitro experiments for over 50 years. However, cells are mechanically responsive and behave differently on hard surfaces than they do on softer substrates. Polyacrylamide gels have become a popular hydrogel of choice for controlling surface stiffness and ligand density for cell adhesion. Many synthesis methods use coverslips and small gel surface areas for cell culture, which are amenable to microscopy-based experiments. However, none of the currently published methods can be scaled up to increase the surface area to accommodate conditioned media production, high volume analyte collection, or cell line expansion. To overcome this size limitation, we developed a protocol for synthesizing polyacrylamide in glass dishes using commercially available materials. This enables routine cell culture on soft surfaces and facilitates experiments that require large amounts of analyte, especially studies involving extracellular vesicles and secreted factors.

Shape-dependent gold nanoparticle interactions with a model cell membrane.

Customizable gold nanoparticle platforms are motivating innovations in drug discovery with massive therapeutic potential due to their biocompatibility, stability, and imaging capabilities. Further development requires the understanding of how discrete differences in shape, charge, or surface chemistry affect the drug delivery process of the nanoparticle. The nanoparticle shape can have a significant impact on nanoparticle function as this can, for example, drastically change the surface area available for modifications, such as surface ligand density. In order to investigate the effects of nanoparticle shape on the structure of cell membranes, we directly probed nanoparticle-lipid interactions with an interface sensitive technique termed sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy. Both gold nanostars and gold nanospheres with positively charged ligands were allowed to interact with a model cell membrane and changes in the membrane structure were directly observed by specific SFG vibrational modes related to molecular bonds within the lipids. The SFG results demonstrate that the +Au nanostars both penetrated and impacted the ordering of the lipids that made up the membrane, while very little structural changes to the model membrane were observed by SFG for the +Au nanospheres interacting with the model membrane. This suggests that the +Au nanostars, compared to the +Au nanospheres, are more disruptive to a cell membrane. Our findings indicate the importance of shape in nanomaterial design and provide strong evidence that shape does play a role in defining nanomaterial-biological interactions.

Consequences of Noncovalent Interfacial Contacts between Nanoparticles and Giant Vesicles

Biological membrane fluidity enables shape reform upon complementary biomolecule and synthetic nanoparticle encounter. Nanomedicine uses ligand-cell surface receptor affinities for nanoparticle targeting. However, due to toxicity concerns, nanoparticlebiomembrane interaction nature needs exploring to realize ligand surface density and receptor-ligand interaction effects on subsequent uptake/other interaction outcome. Herein, giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) were surface immobilized with a hCAII model receptor to study nanoparticle-complementary surface ligand interaction. We find interaction strength impacts morphological outcomes, viz . inter-GUV adhesion, lysis, and GUV swallowing. Nanoparticle size, receptor/ligand surface densities, overall receptor/ligand concentrations and ratios affect strength of adhesion, thus, outcome. Interaction energy effects on GUV morphological outcomes offer fundamental insights on abiological materials designing for interacting with biological ones.