This week’s hot papers – Read for free until November 12th!

Simulation of fusion-mediated nanoemulsion interactions with model lipid bilayers

Coarse-grain simulations have been used to model atomistic structures of biological emulsions such as lipoproteins. This hot paper by Baker and co-workers presents a new coarse-grained perfluorooctylbromide (PFOB) model. The paper focuses on the initial step of the contact-facilitated delivery mechanism. This work could be used in new studies to understand the delivery mechanism of cargo molecules to target cells trough membrane fusion.

Soft Matter, 2012, 8, 7024–7035

Biomimetic fabrication of genetically engineered collagen peptide-assembled freestanding films reinforced by quantum dot joints

The biomimetic fabrication of nanomaterials is very important in many applications. Biomimetic films using a molecular self-assembly approach can be fragile and have a Young’s modulus less than 10 GPa. In this hot paper, Matsui and co-workers describe the preparation of freestanding films using collagen peptides and quantum dots. The films have a Young’s modulus of ~20 GPa and other interesting mechanical properties. The new films could potentially be applied to substrate-free electronics, ultrafast filtration and tissue engineering.

Soft Matter, 2012, 8, 6871-6875

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