Steady-State Electrochemical Determination of Lipidic Nanotube Diameter Utilizing an Artificial Cell Model
Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift, 2010

By exploiting the capabilities of steady-state electrochemical measurements, we have measured the inner diameter of a lipid nanotube using Fick’s first law of diffusion in conjunction with an imposed linear concentration gradient of electroactive molecules over the length of the nanotube. Fick’s law has been used in this way to provide a direct relationship between the nanotube diameter and the measurable experimental parameters Δi (change in current) and nanotube length. Catechol was used to determine the Δi attributed to its flux out of the nanotube. Comparing the nanotube diameter as a function of nanotube length revealed that membrane elastic energy was playing an important role in determining the size of the nanotube and was different when the tube was connected to either end of two vesicles or to a vesicle on one end and a pipet tip on the other. We assume that repulsive interaction between neck regions can be used to explain the trends observed. This theoretical approach based on elastic energy considerations provides a qualitative description consistent with experimental data.

Författare

Kelly L. Adams

Göteborgs universitet

Johan Engelbrektsson

Göteborgs universitet

Marina Voinova

Göteborgs universitet

Bo Zhang

Pennsylvania State University

University of Washington

Daniel J. Eves

Pennsylvania State University

Roger Karlsson

Göteborgs universitet

M. L. Heien

Pennsylvania State University

Ann-Sofie Cans

Chalmers, Kemi- och bioteknik, Fysikalisk kemi

Andrew Ewing

Göteborgs universitet

Analytical Chemistry

0003-2700 (ISSN) 1520-6882 (eISSN)

Vol. 82 3 1020-1026

Ämneskategorier

Fysikalisk kemi

Analytisk kemi

Den kondenserade materiens fysik

DOI

10.1021/ac902282d

Mer information

Senast uppdaterat

2018-04-06