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Nature Nanotechnology (21 November 2008) | doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.371

Nanoparticles: Patchy lipids

Ai Lin Chun

The traditional method of producing phospholipid membranes with patchy stiffness — that is, different stiffness from point to point — is by phase separation of lipids with different intrinsic stiffness. It is thought that the patchiness arises from the non-uniform distribution of the different lipids and other components in the membranes.