Phospholipid morphologies on photochemically patterned silane monolayers

We have studied the spreading of phospholipid vesicles on photochemically patterned n-octadecylsiloxane monolayers using epifluorescence and imaging ellipsometry measurements. Self-assembled monolayers of n-octaclecylsiloxanes were patterned using short-wavelength ultraviolet radiation and a photomask to produce periodic arrays of patterned hydrophilic domains separated from hydrophobic surroundings. Exposing these patterned surfaces to a solution of small unilamellar vesicles of phospholipids and their mixtures resulted in a complex lipid layer morphology epitaxially reflecting the underlying pattern of hydrophilicity. The hydrophilic square regions of the photopatterned OTS monolayer reflected lipid bilayer formation, and the hydrophobic OTS residues supported lipid monolayers. We further observed the existence of a boundary region composed of a nonfluid lipid phase and a lipid-free moat at the interface between the lipid monolayer and bilayer morphologies spontaneously corralling the fluid bilayers. The outer-edge of the boundary region was found to be accessible for subsequent adsorption by proteins (e.g., streptavidin and BSA), but the inner-edge closer to the bilayer remained resistant to adsorption by protein or vesicles. Mechanistic implications of our results in terms of the effects of substrate topochemical character are discussed. Furthermore, our results provide a basis for the construction of complex biomembrane models, which exhibit fluidity barriers and differentiate membrane properties based on correspondence between lipid leaflets. We also envisage the use of this construct where two-dimensionally fluid, low-defect lipid layers serve as sacrificial resists for the deposition of protein and other material patterns.