Physics

Dr. Sajal Kumar Ghosh
Shiv Nadar University, UP

Ionic liquids (ILs) are known to show antimicrobial activity and are observed to be toxic to some microorganisms. To understand the molecular mechanism of these activities, the interactions of imidazolium-based ILs with model biomembranes have been investigated. The pressure area-isotherm of self-assembled monolayer formed by cell membrane mimicking lipid molecules is found to be altered due to interaction with ILs. As a result, the in-plane elasticity of the monolayer is reduced. The self-assembled structure of lipid bilayer on a polymer support is perturbed as evident from x-ray reflectivity (XRR) studies. Due to the IL-membrane interaction, the bilayer thickness reduces considerably and the corresponding electron density of the layer is increased. The nature of the interaction not only depends on the hydrophobicity of ILs but also on the electrostatics of the system. This study provides a molecular description of IL-membrane interaction.