Mesoporous materials feature ordered tailored structures with uniform pore sizes and highly accessible surface areas, making them an ideal host for functional organic molecules or nanoparticles for analytical and sensing applications. Moreover, as their porosity could be employed to deliver fluids, they could be suitable materials for nanofluidic devices. As a first step in this direction, we present a study of the hydration of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) model lipid membranes on solid mesoporous support. POPC was selected as it changes structure upon hydration at room temperature. Mesoporous films were prepared using two different templating agents, Pluronic P123 (PEO-PPO-PEO triblock copolymer where PEO is Polyethylene Oxide and PPO is Polypropylene Oxide) and Brij 58 (C16H33(EO)20OH where EO is ethylene oxide), both following the conventional route and by X-ray irradiation via Deep X-ray lithography technique and subsequent development. The same samples were also additionally functionalized with a self-assembly monolayer (SAM) of (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane. For every film, contact angle was measured. A time resolved structural study was conducted using in situ Grazing Incidence Small Angle X-ray Scattering while increasing the external humidity RH, from 15 to 75% in a specially designed chamber. The measurements evidenced that the lipid membrane hydration on mesoporous films occurs at a lower humidity value with respect to the POPC deposited on silicon substrates, demonstrating the possibility to use porosity to convey water from below. A different level of hydration was reached by using the mesoporous thin film prepared with conventional methods or the irradiated ones, or by functionalizing the film using the SAM strategy, meaning that the hydration can be partially selectively tuned. Therefore, mesoporous films can be employed as “interactive” sample holders with specimens deposited on them. Moreover, thanks to the possibility to pattern the films using deep X-ray lithography, devices for biological studies of increasing complexity by selectively functionalizing the mesopores with biofunctional SAMs could be designed and fabricated.

中文翻译：

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脂质膜与通过标准方法和/或 X 射线照射制备的介孔载体相互作用时的水合结构研究

介孔材料具有有序的定制结构，具有均匀的孔径和高度可接近的表面积，使其成为用于分析和传感应用的功能性有机分子或纳米粒子的理想宿主。此外，由于它们的孔隙率可用于输送流体，因此它们可能是纳米流体装置的合适材料。作为朝着这个方向迈出的第一步，我们对固体介孔载体上 1-棕榈酰-2-油酰-sn-甘油-3-磷酸胆碱 (POPC) 模型脂质膜的水合进行了研究。选择POPC是因为它在室温下水合后会改变结构。使用两种不同的模板剂制备介孔薄膜，Pluronic P123（PEO-PPO-PEO 三嵌段共聚物，其中 PEO 是聚氧化乙烯，PPO 是聚氧化丙烯）和 Brij 58（C16H33(EO)20OH，其中 EO 是环氧乙烷），既遵循传统路线，又通过深 X 射线光刻技术和后续开发进行 X 射线照射。相同的样品还另外用（3-氨基丙基）三乙氧基硅烷的自组装单层（SAM）功能化。对于每个薄膜，测量接触角。使用原位掠入射小角度 X 射线散射进行时间分辨结构研究，同时在专门设计的室中将外部湿度 RH 从 15% 提高到 75%。测量结果证明，相对于沉积在硅基板上的 POPC，介孔膜上的脂质膜水合发生在较低的湿度值下，证明了使用孔隙率从下方输送水的可能性。通过使用用常规方法或辐照方法制备的介孔薄膜，或通过使用 SAM 策略对薄膜进行功能化，可以达到不同程度的水合作用，这意味着可以部分选择性地调整水合作用。因此，介孔薄膜可以用作“交互式”样品架，样品沉积在其上。此外，由于可以使用深 X 射线光刻对薄膜进行图案化，因此可以设计和制造通过用生物功能性 SAM 选择性功能化介孔来增加复杂性的生物学研究装置。