INTERCALATION AND BILAYER FORMATION OF PHOSPHOLIPIDS IN GAMMA-TYPE LAYERED TRANSITION-METAL PHOSPHATES

Intercalation of natural phospholipids, phosphatidylethanolamine (PEA) and phosphatidylcholine (PC), into inorganic layered compounds was examined in ethanol and chloroform solutions. Gamma-Type titanium(IV) phosphate and zirconium(IV) phosphate were selected as host layered compounds. They are strong solid acids and also known as inorganic ion exchangers. The intercalation of PEA was propagated in chloroform solution in the presence of n-alkylamine forming a bilayers of PEA-alkylamine mixture. The direct reaction of PEA with gamma-phosphates was not successful. On the other hand PC reacted directly with the layered compounds either in the chloroform or in the ethanol solution of PC and successfully formed bilayers.