Interactions of synthetic polymers with cell membranes and model membrane systems. 13. On the mechanism of polyelectrolyte-induced structural reorganization in thin molecular films

We reported in 1985 that polyelectrolyte adsorption can be wed to control the structural and functional properties of bilayer membranes prepared from double-chain surfactants in water. In particular, the pH-dependent adsorption of hydrophobic poly(carboxylic acids) on phosphatidylcholine films can be used to design surfactant vesicles that release their contents rapidly and quantitatively in response to changes in environmental parameters such as pH, temperature, or the concentrations of an organic solute, e.g., glucose. Composite thin films prepared in this way offer intriguing technological opportunities in information storage and transfer, in sensing and control (including biosensing), and in medical diagnosis and therapeutics.