(632b) Designing Hybrid Bio-Nanostructured Soft Materials Via Self-Assembly

Our objective is to design bio-nanostructured soft materials using the self-assembly of multiple species of amphiphilic lipid molecules. Individual lipid molecules are composed of a hydrophilic head group and two hydrophobic tails. The distinction between the multiple phospholipid species can arise due to chemical specificities of the polar head groups and the hydrocarbon tail groups. The amphiphilic lipids self-assemble into a stable hybrid vesicle in the presence of a hydrophilic solvent. In this presentation, we summarize the control parameters which direct the self-organization of the nanoscopic components of the hybrid soft biomaterials. We use a Molecular Dynamics-based mesoscopic simulation technique called Dissipative Particle Dynamics which simultaneously resolves the structure and dynamics of the nanoscopic building blocks and the hybrid aggregate. We present material characterization of the equilibrium morphology of the various hybrid nanostructures. In addition the effects of line tension on the phase segregation process and the morphology of the hybrid vesicle are demonstrated. A combination of the material characterization and the morphologies of the hybrid aggregates can be used to predict the structure and properties of other hybrid materials.