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Mechanical properties and microstructure of polycrystalline phospholipid monolayer shells: Novel solid microparticles

Publication ,  Journal Article
Kim, DH; Costello, MJ; Duncan, PB; Needham, D
Published in: Langmuir
September 30, 2003

A polycrystalline phospholipid monolayer self-assembled at the surface of an air microbubble in aqueous solution represents a novel material structure: in essence, a solid shell of wax with micrometer-scale dimensions and a thickness of only a single molecule. Micropipet manipulation of these microparticles revealed the dependence of the mechanical properties of the lipid shells, specifically, yield shear and shear viscosity, on the composition, grain microstructure, and thermal processing of the material, in particular the cooling rate of the shells from the melt. Properties were measured as a function of the (1) lipid composition at a fixed cooling rate and (2) cooling rate at a fixed lipid composition. Epifluorescent microscopy and transmission electron microscopy revealed that the morphology of the 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine monolayer microstructure, which develops upon freezing from the melt, is dependent on the cooling rate through the lipid transition temperature Tm, with larger micrograms being formed at slower cooling rates. Mechanical properties of the lipid shell follow micrograin size, with the coarse grain structure exhibiting a higher resistance to shear deformation than the fine grain structure does, which is behavior consistent with that of more traditional bulk crystalline materials.

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Published In

Langmuir

DOI

ISSN

0743-7463

Publication Date

September 30, 2003

Volume

19

Issue

20

Start / End Page

8455 / 8466

Related Subject Headings

  • Chemical Physics
 

Citation

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Kim, D. H., Costello, M. J., Duncan, P. B., & Needham, D. (2003). Mechanical properties and microstructure of polycrystalline phospholipid monolayer shells: Novel solid microparticles. Langmuir, 19(20), 8455–8466. https://doi.org/10.1021/la034779c
Kim, D. H., M. J. Costello, P. B. Duncan, and D. Needham. “Mechanical properties and microstructure of polycrystalline phospholipid monolayer shells: Novel solid microparticles.” Langmuir 19, no. 20 (September 30, 2003): 8455–66. https://doi.org/10.1021/la034779c.
Kim DH, Costello MJ, Duncan PB, Needham D. Mechanical properties and microstructure of polycrystalline phospholipid monolayer shells: Novel solid microparticles. Langmuir. 2003 Sep 30;19(20):8455–66.
Kim, D. H., et al. “Mechanical properties and microstructure of polycrystalline phospholipid monolayer shells: Novel solid microparticles.” Langmuir, vol. 19, no. 20, Sept. 2003, pp. 8455–66. Scopus, doi:10.1021/la034779c.
Kim DH, Costello MJ, Duncan PB, Needham D. Mechanical properties and microstructure of polycrystalline phospholipid monolayer shells: Novel solid microparticles. Langmuir. 2003 Sep 30;19(20):8455–8466.
Journal cover image

Published In

Langmuir

DOI

ISSN

0743-7463

Publication Date

September 30, 2003

Volume

19

Issue

20

Start / End Page

8455 / 8466

Related Subject Headings

  • Chemical Physics