Surfactants, micelles, and vesicles constitute a class of self-assembled soft-matter physical systems arising from amphiphilic molecules in solution. Above the critical micelle concentration, surfactants spontaneously form micelles, typically spherical or anisotropic aggregates with hydrophobic cores and hydrophilic coronas, governed by minimization of interfacial free energy and packing constraints. At higher concentrations or appropriate conditions (e.g., temperature, ionic strength, tail architecture), these assemblies can transition into bilayer-based vesicles, closed shell structures encapsulating aqueous volumes and exhibiting bending elasticity, membrane tension, and permeability properties. Collectively, these systems serve as model platforms for studying interfacial thermodynamics, mesoscale organization, and transport phenomena in complex fluids.
The synthesis of multifunctional nanoparticles is commonly a complex endeavor and hampers the clinical translation of effective nanomedicines. In their most recent work, Matthias Barz and coworkers present a microfluidic ...
Bio & Medicine
Mar 22, 2023
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125
In order to deliver cancer therapeutics to tumor cells, the cells' membranes must be overcome. A team of researchers have discovered a simple way to achieve this using lipid nanoparticles containing the reagent EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic ...
Bio & Medicine
Mar 16, 2023
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99
Researchers in Japan have developed a new method for purifying cholesterol-modified DNA nanostructures that could be used to functionalize molecular robot bodies (lipid vesicles). The study was a collaboration between Yusuke ...
Bio & Medicine
Mar 6, 2023
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130
National University of Singapore scientists have fabricated nano-sized vesicles from cells via a cell shearing approach that can be used for various biomedical applications.
Bio & Medicine
Jan 17, 2023
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85
A new study by the University of Barcelona has analyzed the viability of a new nanomolecule as drug delivery vehicle. The results, published in the journal Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces, show that liposomes designed ...
Bio & Medicine
Jan 10, 2023
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66
Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have used a surfactant to disperse insulating boron nitride nanotubes and coat them onto surfaces without bundling. The team demonstrated that heat treatment could remove the ...
Nanomaterials
Oct 17, 2022
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147
The success of COVID-19 vaccines is a great example of gene medicine's tremendous potential to prevent viral infections. One reason for the vaccines' success is their use of lipid nanoparticles, or LNPs, to carry delicate ...
Bio & Medicine
Aug 23, 2022
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139
A team of scientists in the Physical Intelligence Department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems have combined robotics with biology by equipping E. coli bacteria with artificial components to construct biohybrid ...
Bio & Medicine
Jul 15, 2022
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347
The old adage that oil and water don't mix isn't entirely accurate. While it's true that the two compounds don't naturally combine, turning them into one final product can be done. You just need an emulsifier, an ingredient ...
Nanomaterials
Jun 13, 2022
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188
Researchers at ICMAB present a study on new nanovesicles, known as quatsomes, which have been successfully engineered to encapsulate and deliver microRNAs for the treatment of tumors. These nanovesicles are produced by a ...
Bio & Medicine
Feb 4, 2022
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