Lipid Based Nanotubes as Functional Architectures with Embedded Fluorescence and Recognition Capabilities.

The article presents information on the lipid based nanotubes as functional architectures with embedded fluorescence and recognition capabilities. Soft nanotubular structures represent a potentially powerful architecture generated through self-assembly of amphiphilic molecules. Several classes of amphiphiles are known to provide these materials, including lipid-modified peptides, bola-amphiphiles and sugar-lipid conjugates. Substantial bending of the monomers is required, which arises from the meta orientation of the linker, along with un saturation of the alkyl chain.