Lipid-polymer hybrid materials have the potential to exhibit enhanced stability and loading capabilities in comparison to parent liposome or polymer materials. However, complexities lie in formulating and characterizing such complex nanomaterials. Here we describe a lipid-coated polymer gel (lipogel) formulated using a single pot methodology, where self-assembling liposomes template a UV-curable polymer gel core. Using fluorescently-labeled lipids, protein, and hydrophobic molecules, we have characterized their formation, purification, stability, and encapsulation efficiency via common instrumentation methods such as dynamic light scattering (DLS), matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS), UV-Vis spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, and single particle total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy. In addition, we confirmed that these dual-guest loaded lipogels are stable in solution for several months. The simplicity of this complete aqueous formation and non-covalent dual-guest encapsulation holds potential as a tunable nanomaterial scaffold.
展开▼
