Hybrid lipid thin films

Lipid thin films have been used in many applications, such as permeation control, drug delivery, and other medical applications because of their 

FIGURE 1. Supramolecular objects consist of inorganic building blocks mainly based on soft supramolecular assemblies, (a) Hybrid lipid thin films, (b) Layer-by-layer assemblies, (c) Structure transcription, (d) Functional mesoporous hybrid. 

FIGURE 3. Permeation of water-soluble fluorescent probe through a glass plate with the immobilized monolayer. 

FIGURE 4. Electrochemical investigation of permeation control through monolayer structure. 

The concept of the hybrid electrode was extended to a vitamin-immobilized system by Hisaeda and co-workers (Fig. 5), in which heptapropyl and heptaoctyl esters of vitamin B12 derivatives with a Co(II) or Co(III) center were used. Investigation of ti-A isotherms of these compounds with the alkoxysilane monolayers suggested that stable accommodation of the vitamin functionality in the lipid monolayer can be achieved by the introduction of long chains at the vitamin B core. The mixed monolayers of the long chain-substituted vitamin B12 and organosilane amphiphile were transferred as an x-type LB film onto a quartz plate and showed reasonable UV absorbance. Monolayers similarly immobilized on an indium-tin-oxide (ITO) electrode possessed a 

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In this volume we have collected 10 review chapters from distinguished scientists who have contributed extensively to the study and development of supramolecular assemblies that contain metals and metal-like elements with unusual structures and morphologies and possess potentially useful (and applicable) physical and biological properties. The first chapter by K. Ariga et al. is a general discussion of supramolecular structures that contain inorganic building blocks for hybrid lipid thin films, layer-by-layer assemblies, structure transcription, and functional mesoporous hybrids. This is followed by two chapters, the first by M. L. Kistler et al., who describe the self-assembly of hydrophilic polyoxometalate (POM) macro-anions and examine the structure and behavior of POM macro-ions in solution. This is followed by a chapter by S. K. Das, who provides an overview of the supramolecular features of POM-supported transition metal complexes, POM-crown ether complexes with supramolecular cations, and supramolecular water clusters associated with POMs. 

The use of electrodes modified with immobilized redox-active molecules provides a simple methodology by which to study the ultrathin film electrochemistry of water-insoluble redox-active molecules, encouraging the application of such techniques to biomimetic membranes in aqueous media. It is of interest to use monolayer and LB films of enzymes, proteins, and antibodies as biosensors or biomolecular switches because of their high sensitivity for their substrates and antigens, respectively. The formation of thin fullerene films including fullerene-lipid hybrid and fullerene-lipid composite bilayer membranes is of interest both from a fundamental and practical application point of view. Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are novel nanomaterials that have remarkable electronic, mechanical, and thermal properties, and specific functions. Soluble carbon nanotubes in aqueous and organic systems are of interest since their study allows the... 

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