Spontaneous unbinding transition of nanoparticles adsorbing onto biomembranes: interplay of electrostatics and crowding

Abstract

Cationic quantum dots unbind from the membrane at a critical bound fraction, driven by inter-particle coulombic repulsion. Zwitterionic QDs can have higher bound fractions before they start bending the membrane, driven primarily by steric repulsion.

The effect of polymer coating on nanoparticles’ interaction with lipid membranes studied by coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations

“…Besides fluorescence microscopy 21 and atomic force microscopy, 22 super-resolution stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy 23 is a powerful and widely used technique for visualizing the interactions and cellular uptake of nanosystems. Raman spectroscopy and infrared absorption spectroscopy are compelling methods for non-destructive and label-free imaging while retaining chemical selectivity.…”