Synthesis of Liposome/Yttrium-Basic-Carbonate Composite Nanocapsules

M. G. BELLINO; A. E. REGAZZONI

Columbia University, New York

Conferencia; 13th IACIS International Conference on Surface and Colloid Science and the 83rd ACS Colloids & Surface Science Symposium; 2009

Precipitation of Y(OH)CO3.xH2O in the presence of liposome templates leads to the formation of novel yttrium basic carbonate uniform spherical nanocapsules. During the synthesis, urea hydrolysis provides homogeneously the base to form the inorganic shell, and the head groups at the outer vesicle phospholipid layer serve as adsorption sites for hydrolyzing Y(III) ions, thus promoting the heterogeneous nucleation of Y(OH)CO3.xH2O. At the proper synthesis conditions, kinetically individual nanocapsules with ca. 15 nm thick shells can easily be prepared (see FE-SEM micrographs); their FTIR spectra and electron diffraction patterns demonstrate that liposomes are enclosed within the solid amorphous crusts. The criteria behind the advanced synthesis procedure shall be stressed. Its potentialities shall be compared against other well established strategies of encapsulation.