Bilayer vesicles cryo-electron microscopy

Boettcher et al. showed that when hot solutions (> 80 °C) of A-dodecanoyl (d- or l-) serine (Figure lOh) in toluene were cooled to room temperature, they produced gels consisting of LNTs and vesicles. Cryo-transmission electron microscopy allowed the first direct comparison of the nanotubes (diameters, 80-130 nm) obtained from the serine-amphiphile derivative under normal and reversed polarity conditions. All the assemblies had similar multilayers with a periodicity of 3.30nm both in water and in toluene. These materials gave normal bilayers with the hydrophilic head groups oriented toward the aqueous environment and inverse bilayers with the alkyl chains oriented toward the hydrophobic toluene phase, respectively. 

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