Hydration kinetics of oriented lipid membranes investigated by energy dispersive x-ray diffraction.

Energy dispersive x-ray diffraction was applied to investigate the hydration kinetics of highly aligned 1,2-dioleoyl-3-trimethylammonium-propane membrane system. First, the adsorption of water into the lipid film results in a continous gain of interbilayer spatial coherence until a maximum is reached. Further, adsorbed water molecules behave as bulk water promoting loss of spatial coherence and leading to a progressive lowering and broadening of diffraction peaks. The possible molecular origin of this phenomenon is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]