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Reversible Size‐Tuning of Self‐Assembled Silver Nanoparticles in Phospholipid Membranes via Humidity Control
Author(s) -
Oh Nuri,
Kim Jung Hoon,
Jin Sungho,
Yoon Chong Seung
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
small
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.785
H-Index - 236
eISSN - 1613-6829
pISSN - 1613-6810
DOI - 10.1002/smll.200801536
Subject(s) - nanoparticle , membrane , materials science , monolayer , self assembly , chemical engineering , nanostructure , nanotechnology , molecule , biocompatibility , phospholipid , lipid bilayer , biosensor , chemistry , organic chemistry , biochemistry , engineering , metallurgy
A monolayer of 5‐nm‐sized Ag nanoparticles embedded in a liquid‐crystalline lipid membrane undergoes a reversible morphological change during hydration and dehydration of the lipid membrane. High mobility of the encapsulating lipid molecules, chemically bound to the Ag atoms, induces redistribution of metal particles to produce significant and optically detectable changes in nanoparticle morphology. The morphological change occurs on a time scale that enables the Ag‐nanoparticle‐embedded membrane to be used as a convenient visual sensor for moisture and other organic solvents, as well as for biosensing by virtue of the biocompatibility of the lipid molecules. The mechanism demonstrated here can also be extended to construct guided nanostructures based on self‐assembled nanoparticles.