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Themulticomponentnatureofbiologicalmembranesandtheirintra- andextracel- lar interactions make direct investigations on the membrane structure and processes nearly impossible. Clearly, a better understanding of the membrane properties and the mechanisms determining membrane protein functions is crucial to the imp- mentation of biosensors, bioreactors and novel platforms for medical therapy. For this reason, the interest in model systems suitable for the construction and study of complex lipid/protein membrane architectures has increased steadily over the years. The classical portfolio of model membranes used for biophysical and - terfacial studies of lipid (bi)layers and lipid/protein composites includes Langmuir monolayers assembled at the water/air interface, (uni- and multi-lamellar) vesicles in bulk (liposomal) dispersion, bimolecular lipid membranes (BLMs), and various types of solid-supported membranes. All these have speci?c advantages but also suffer from serious drawbacksthat limit their technical applications. Polymer m- branes comprised of entirely synthetic or hybrid (synthetic polymer/biopolymer) block copolymersappeared to be an attractive alternative to the lipid-based models. Generally, the synthetic block copolymer membranes are thicker and more stable and the versatility of polymer chemistry allows the adoption of relevant properties for a wide range of applications. This volume provides a vast overview of the physico-chemical and synthetic - pectsofarti?cial membranes. Numerousmembranemodelsaredescribed,including their properties(i. e. swelling, drying,lateral mobility,stability, electrical conduct- ity, etc. ), advantages, and drawbacks. The potential applications of these models are discussed and supported by real examples. Chapter 1 summarizesmethodsfor the stabilizationof arti?cial lipid membranes.
List of contents
Han Zhang, James R. Joubert, and S. Scott Saavedra: Membranes from Polymerizable Lipids.- A. P. Siegel and C. A. Naumann: Polymer Stabilized Lipid Membranes: Langmuir Monolayers.- Wolfgang Knoll, Katja Bender, Renate Förch, Curt Frank, Heide Götz, Claudia Heibel, Toby Jenkins, Ulrich Jonas, Asmorom Kibrom, Ralf Kügler, Christoph Naumann, Renate Naumann, Annette Reisinger, Jürgen Rühe, Stefan Schiller, and Eva-Kathrin Sinner: Polymer-Tethered Bimolecular Lipid Membranes.- Violeta Malinova, Serena Belegrinou, Dirk de Bruyn Ouboter, and Wolfgang Meier: Biomimetic Block Copolymer Membranes.- Annabelle Bertin, Florian Hermes, and Helmut Schlaad: Biohybrid and Peptide-Based Polymer Vesicles.- Kostas Ch. Daoulas and Marcus Müller: Comparison of Simulations of Lipid Membranes with Membranes of Block Copolymers.
About the author
Wolfgang Knoll is scientific executive director of the newly founded Austrian Institute of Technology. Previously, he was one of the Directors at the MPI for Polymer Research in Mainz, Germany. A biophysicist by training, he spent time at the IBM Almaden Research Center in California before his habilitation at the Technical University of Munich in 1986. From 1991 to 1999, he was Head of Laboratory for Exotic Nanomaterials hosted by the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN) in Wako, Japan. In 1992, he was also appointed Consulting Professor at the Dept. of Chemical Engineering at Stanford University, California. He is the 2003 recipient of the Eugen and Inge Seibold Award. His current research interests include in particular structure-property relationships of polymeric and other organic systems in thin films and at functionalized surfaces.
