Indirect nanoplasmonic sensing (NPS) is a novel microanalytical technique based on the optical phenomenon of localized surface plasmon resonance of metallic nanostructures. In indirect NPS experiments the plasmonic particles are inert and adjacent to the material of interest to probe a process occurring either in the material investigated or on the surface of the material. Changes in the nanoparticle properties cause a shift in the maximum-extinction wavelength, which can be monitored and recorded in real-time. Among the notable advantages of NPS are the simple instrumentation and the extremely robust and noninvasive methodology, which is very flexible regarding the type of material investigated. Recently, NPS has been successfully applied to the development of biosensors, biochemical processes, and to the binding characterization of polymers, involving kinetic measurements.

The increasing use of ionic liquids in industrial processes has resulted in strong demands on achieving a better understanding of the toxicological effects of ionic liquids. There is a great demand for more systematic studies on the effect of ionic liquids on biological membranes and in this work we have employed phospholipid vesicles as biomimetic models.

Large unilamellar synthetic phospholipid vesicles were prepared and immobilized on different hydrophilic sensors (titanium dioxide and silicon nitride surfaces) and the influence of industrially relevant ionic liquids on the adsorption pattern was studied by NPS. The effect of ionic liquids on phospholipid vesicles was shown to be highly dependent on the hydrophobicity and molecular structure of the ionic liquid. In general, this project will lead to a better understanding of the possible harmfulness of novel ionic liquids on phospholipid vesicles, acting as excellent artificial models for biomembranes.


Langmuir, 2017, 33 (4), pp 1066–1076
DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.6b04359Report abuse »