Offsetting the Tubule-Forming Tendency of Chiral Diacetylene-Containing Lipids: Planar Strips, Ribbons, and Liposomes from a Diacetylenic Lipid Analog of a Thermophilic Bacterium

A chiral self-assembled lamellar system based on the membrane lipid structureof thermophilic bacteria is reported. Unlike typical monopolar double chain chiral lipids, which generally form helices and tubules, sheets (see Figure), ribbons, and vesicles are observed. It is shown that the materials are readily polymerized and metallized and that the polymerized materials display an extremely large fluorescence excitation and emission range.