Bivalent-ion-mediated vesicle adsorption and controlled supported phospholipid bilayer formation on molecular phosphate and sulfate layers on gold

Strategies to form supported lipid assemblies on organophosphate- and organosulfate-monolayer-modified gold surfaces are described. By varying surface treatment and the Mg2+ (Ca2+) content in a solution containing phosphatidylcholine vesicles, we demonstrate (i) efficient formation of supported phosphatidylcholine bilayers (SPBs), (ii) formation of supported nonruptured phosphatidylcholine vesicles, and (iii) reduced phosphatidylcholine vesicle adsorption. Thus, by simply varying the solution conditions, the system can be tuned to controlled formation of either a SPB, supported nonruptured vesicles, or a surface with fairly low coverage of nonruptured vesicles. The profound effects induced on the system by Mg2+ and Ca2+ are assigned to a combination of ion-coordination to the surface, ion-association to the lipid headgroups, and osmotic pressure.