Formation of lipid bilayers on a new amphiphilic polymer support

In this paper we present a way to build up tether supported lipid bilayers. First we synthesized novel amphiphilic polymers with an adjustable hydrophilicity. This was achieved by introducing ionic groups together with disulfide and lipid anchor groups in polyacrylamides or N,N-dimethylacrylamides. The self-assembly of these polymers on a gold surface was monitored by surface plasmon spectroscopy and was characterized by contact angle measurements and swelling experiments. The contact angle decreased linearly with the percent of ionic groups in the polymer, resulting in a more hydrophilic surface. Swelling experiments demonstrated the greater hydrophilicity of the charged polymers. To build up tether supported lipid bilayers, we fused phospholipid vesicles onto the prepared thin polymer films. The charged polymers initiated a vesicle fusion on the thin polymer films and resulted in a supported lipid bilayer.