Functionalized fatty-acid vesicles as soft-matter/polymer hybrid nanocontainers: Baltic Neutron School

Delivery and removal of delicate material in controlled amounts to or from cellular targets is still a challenge in nanomedicine. A suggestion for a new soft-matter/polymer hybrid container system is presented here. It is based on the self-assembly of fatty acids into bilayer membranes and stabilized by a polymer scaffold. The polymers exhibit a reversible thermotropic conformational transition. In toto, the composite system shall yield a novel delivery system with permeability properties that can controlled upon the thermally induced expansion/ shrinking of the polymers. The system bears potential as “intelligent” release tool of cargo and as well as decontamination device. The project is an ongoing master thesis project.