Publications by authors named "Filip Kovacik"

Morphological and gel-to-liquid phase transitions of lipid membranes are generally considered to primarily depend on the structural motifs in the hydrophobic core of the bilayer. Structural changes in the aqueous headgroup phase are typically not considered, primarily because they are difficult to quantify. Here, we investigate structural changes of the hydration shells around large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) in aqueous solution, using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and temperature-dependent ζ-potential and high-throughput angle-resolved second harmonic scattering measurements (AR-SHS).

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Article Synopsis
  • The interaction between water and folded proteins involves complex "patchy" areas that vary in hydrophobicity, challenging the traditional view of surface properties described by Cassie's equation.
  • New experimental findings reveal significant differences in the adhesion results and interfacial water structure, contradicting the assumptions of CE.
  • A new predictive model is introduced, focusing on the influence of a molecule's first-nearest neighbors, paving the way for a deeper understanding of both biological and synthetic interfaces.
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Interfacial phase transitions are of fundamental importance for climate, industry, and biological processes. In this work, we observe a hydration mediated surface transition in supercooled oil nanodroplets in aqueous solutions using second harmonic and sum frequency scattering techniques. Hexadecane nanodroplets dispersed in water freeze at a temperature of ∼15 °C below the melting point of the bulk alkane liquid.

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