Metastability in lipid based particles exhibits temporally deterministic and controllable behavior.

ABSTRACT: The metastable-to-stable phase-transition is commonly observed in many fields of science, as an uncontrolled independent process, highly sensitive to microscopic fluctuations. In particular, self-assembled lipid suspensions exhibit phase-transitions, where the underlying driving mechanisms and dynamics are not well understood. Here we describe a study of the phase-transition dynamics of lipid-based particles, consisting of mixtures of dilauroylphosphatidylethanolamine (DLPE) and dilauroylphosphatidylglycerol (DLPG), exhibiting a metastable liquid crystalline-to-stable crystalline phase transition upon cooling from 60°C to 37°C. Surprisingly, unlike classically described metastable-to-stable phase transitions, the manner in which recrystallization is delayed by tens of hours is robust, pred

SUBMITTER: Jacoby G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4377625 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature