A DETAILED STUDY OF PROTEIN-SUPPORTED PHOSPHOLIPID BILAYER SYSTEMS AS MODEL INTERFACES TO INVESTIGATE BIOMEMBRANE INTERACTIONS

The cell membrane allows the maintenance of the intracellular content compatible with the work and life needs of the cell itself thanks to precise properties of permeability and capacity to transport ions and nutrients. Therefore, the integrity of this membrane, as well as that of proteins that carry out the function of transporting ions (such as ion channels), is a crucial topic in research and medicine. The main goals of my PhD project were: 1) The characterization, by means of AFM, of the morphological properties of the iron storing protein ferritin. 2) The study of the movement of the above-mentioned ferritin in a magnetic field. 3) The study of the interaction between ionic liquids and supported phospholipid bilayers by AFM. 4) Synthesis and characterization of highly conjugated heterocyclic molecules with interesting photophysical properties.