School of Mechanical Engineering Seminar
Moday October 4.10.21 at 14:00 Room 206
 

Vesicular cell membrane model meets graphene oxide:
Effect of vesicle's size, charge, and rigidity on the nature and extent of interaction

Shaanan Sack

M.Sc. student of Dr. Ines Zucker

Abstract

Graphene oxide (GO) is a carbon-based two-dimensional nanomaterial with exceptional mechanical and electrical properties. The growing production volumes and commercialization of new graphene-based products pose broader environmental risks due to their increased exposure. Indeed, the desired features that makes GO so attractive also raise concerns regarding its environmental and health hazardous potential.

In order to evaluate the negative effects of GO on the environment, a basic understanding of the physical interaction between the nanomaterial and a biological cell membrane—the cell's line of defence from the external environment—is required. One widely accepted model is that of a lipid bilayer membrane vesicle. The assumptions of this study are that this vesicle model represents well the cell membrane and that by analysing the GO-vesicle interaction, one can learn about the potential toxicity of GO.

This study examines the effect of size, charge, and rigidity of the vesicle on the interaction with the nanomaterial. This fundamental understanding on how the composition of the cell membrane affects the interaction, will lead us ultimately to delineate influencing conditions that can manipulate GO-cell interactions. Initial results from the interaction analysis using dynamic light scattering (DLS) and dye leakage assay indicate that the size of the vesicle affects their degree of interaction with GO. Charged vesicles show increase both in kinetics and degree of interaction as their charge becomes more positive relative to GO charge. Overall, this fundamental study sheds light on the toxic potential of GO towards biological cells and our ability to predict it.