Assessment of the size, shape and structure of monolayers of Phospholipid-Porphyrin conjugates at the air/water interface by XRR and GISAXS

Two new series of Pl-Por conjugates with different alkyl chain lengths in sn2 position of LysoPC and linked via peptidic bond to either Pheophorbide-a (PhLPCn) or Pyropheophorbide-a (PyrLPCn) as porphyrin derivatives have been recently synthesized to design smart drug delivery systems with multifunctional properties. The main aim of this proposal is to assess the fine structure perpendicular to the interface and to detect the in-plane structure of nano-domains at the interface of monolayers made either of pure Pl-Por conjugates or of their mixture with DSPC as lipid matrix by the unique combination of high energy specular X-ray reflectivity (XRR) and grazing incidence X-ray scattering (GISAXS).