Curvature effect on nanometer-scale surface properties of phospholipid layers

Phospholipid bilayers were formed through liposome fusion on surfaces with different curvatures that were defined with silica spheres deposited on silicon water. Prior to the fusion, the surfaces became hydrophobic with octadecyltrimethoxysilane solution. Using atomic force microscope, surface forces were measured on dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) layers and dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC) layers upon the curvature at 25 °C. The short-range repulsions were higher at 20 and 100 nm curvatures than other curvatures for the DPPC layer, while they were lower for the DOPC layer. Since it was known that the forces are related to its low mechanical stability of the lipid layer, this opposite behavior was analyzed in terms of stability upon the curvature, which appears to be eventually determined by the correlation between the lipid molecule geometry and the surface curvature.