Adhesion Deformation and Fusion of Bilayer Vesicles and     Other Amphiphilic Structures in Solution
{'Code': '07020000', 'Directorate': {'Abbreviation': 'ENG', 'LongName': 'Directorate For Engineering'}, 'Division': {'Abbreviation': 'CBET', 'LongName': 'Div Of Chem, Bioeng, Env, & Transp Sys'}}
{'SignBlockName': 'Jeffrey Foltz', 'PO_EMAI': 'jfoltz@nsf.gov', 'PO_PHON': '7032924231'}
Forces between amphiphilic structures such as bilayers, vesicles,               microemulsion droplets and biological membranes are accompanied by              elastic deformation of the structures as they approach and come into            contact.  These deformations are dependent on both the inter-aggregate          and intra-aggregate forces and their coupling.  This project is a               study of the adhesion, fusion and accompanying structure deformations           using direct force measurements, freeze-fracture, and in-situ frozen            hydrate electron microscopy techniques.  The experimental conditions            are modified to test the effects of undulation, electrostatic                   interactions, hydration and hydrophobic interactions on the adhesion            and fusion process.  This is the first systematic effort to understand          the coupling between inter-and intra-aggregate interactions and the             resulting structural modifications that occur when amphiphilic                  structures are brought into contact.  A video recording system allows           one to follow the fusion process in real time using a surface forces            apparatus.  Though a number of these apparatus exist in various                 laboratories, none is being deployed to study the dynamics of fusion            as in this work.  The combination of rapid freezing, artifact-free              freeze-fracture and in-situ frozen-hydrated electron microscopy                 applied to amphiphilic structures is also unprecedented.  The                   techniques present direct images of three-dimensional structural                transitions with molecular resolution.                                                                                                                          This project should have a major impact on both the theory and                  practice of all phenomena involving interbilayer and intermembrane              interactions.  The expected new insights into the fundamental forces            and molecular events accompanying the fusion of micelles, bilayers,             vesicles, microemulsion droplets, foams, emulsions and surfactant-              coated colloidal particles will be especially important as this has             been the focus of much attention in the colloid and biological                  sciences.  The stability of vesicles and their usefulness as drug               carriers, the stability of colloidal dispersions, breaking and                  creating foams and emulsions, the effectiveness of surfactants in               flotation, and the wear of boundary lubricants are all examples where           understanding of basic mechanisms are still lacking.  Of greatest               possible importance is the ability to directly study the interactions           of real biological membranes and other specific interactions involving          biological macromolecules.
[{'FirstName': 'Jacob', 'LastName': 'Israelachvili', 'PI_MID_INIT': 'N', 'PI_SUFX_NAME': None, 'PI_FULL_NAME': 'Jacob N Israelachvili', 'EmailAddress': 'jacob@engineering.ucsb.edu', 'NSF_ID': '000463998', 'StartDate': '04/01/1988', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Principal Investigator'}, {'FirstName': 'Joseph', 'LastName': 'Zasadzinski', 'PI_MID_INIT': 'A', 'PI_SUFX_NAME': None, 'PI_FULL_NAME': 'Joseph A Zasadzinski', 'EmailAddress': 'zasad008@umn.edu', 'NSF_ID': '000619592', 'StartDate': '04/01/1988', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Co-Principal Investigator'}]
{'Name': 'University of California-Santa Barbara', 'CityName': 'SANTA BARBARA', 'ZipCode': '931060001', 'PhoneNumber': '8058934188', 'StreetAddress': '3227 CHEADLE HALL', 'StreetAddress2': None, 'CountryName': 'United States', 'StateName': 'California', 'StateCode': 'CA', 'CONGRESSDISTRICT': '24', 'CONGRESS_DISTRICT_ORG': 'CA24', 'ORG_UEI_NUM': 'G9QBQDH39DF4', 'ORG_LGL_BUS_NAME': 'UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA BARBARA', 'ORG_PRNT_UEI_NUM': None}
{'Name': None, 'CityName': None, 'StateCode': None, 'ZipCode': None, 'StreetAddress': None, 'CountryCode': None, 'CountryName': None, 'StateName': None, 'CountryFlag': None, 'CONGRESSDISTRICT': None, 'CONGRESS_DISTRICT_PERF': '""'}
{'Code': '141400', 'Text': 'INTERFAC PROCESSES & THERMODYN'}
{'url': 'https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/download?DownloadFileName=1987&All=true', 'xml': '8721741.xml'}