Liposomes in contact and interacting with silica nanoparticles

In the past few years, growing attention has been devoted to the study of the interactions taking place in mixed systems of phospholipid membranes and inorganic nanoparticles. This is an important issue with regard to using nanoparticles in nanomedicine but also in the related field of nanotoxicology. However, the nature of the interactions in such mixtures is rather complex and may lead to the formation of different colloidal structures. Focusing on the case of liposomes and silica nanoparticles, the study presented here aims at improving our understanding of the interactions in such mixed systems and at obtaining a detailed picture of the hybrid structures they result in. Drawing a parallel between different systems, this work offers not only interesting features on the internalization process of nanoparticles and on the stability of nanoparticle–decorated vesicles but also comprehensive insights into the influence of the bilayer state (liquid, gel) on the nanoscale structures of hybrid liposome/nanoparticle complexes.