Measurements of van der Waals interactions between lipid membranes

by Dr Horia I. Petrache (Indianapolis University)

Friday 11 Sept 2015, 14:00 → 15:00 Europe/Berlin

Building 25b | Room 109 (DESY Hamburg)

Lipids molecules found in biological cells form 2D membranes when immersed in aqueous solutions. Because of correlations in fluctuating polarizations, nearby membranes attract through van der Waals (vdW) forces that are strong enough to create multilamellar lipid vesicles with regular repeat spacings on the order of 5 to 20 nm. By using small-angle x-ray scattering and osmotic stress, we measure how vdW interactions are modified in the presence of water soluble zwitterions such as common pH buffers and amino acids. These measurements produce an extensive and reliable data set for testing calculations of vdW forces for membrane systems.