Biointerfacing luminescent nanotubes

Supported lipid bilayers that mimic a cell membrane are well-defined model systems for fundamental research and also are critical for the development of new types of biosensor, biodevices and functional materials. We report here that supported lipid bilayers could spontaneously wrap around the layer-by-layer assembled luminescent nanotubes with a hydrophilic polymer-cushioned outer surface. We show that such one-dimensional lipid membranes are laterally mobile and have a high mobile fraction. We also used a simplified diffusion model to estimate the mobility of lipid molecules. These biointerfacing nanotubes have great potential for the design of novel biosensors and biomimetic functional nanomaterials.