This project represents continued support from the Organic Dynamics Program for Janos Fendler's work on membranes. The aim of the Syracuse group is to generate surfactant assemblies that will mimic the desired functions of cell membranes. This will allow control of chemical reaction rates and stereochemical outcome, and will produce results that are different from those normally observed in dilute aqueous solutions. Research plans involve parallel preparations and characterizations of monolayers, bilayer lipid membranes and vesicles from given functionalized surfactants and from given mixtures of surfactants. Polymerization, polymer coating and domain formation will ensure size and dimensionality control of the mimetic-system-incorporated colloidal catalysts, semiconductors, or magnetic particles. Emphasis will be placed on the utilization of the different systems for reactivity control; proton, ion, and charge transport; recognition; and information transfer.
