PFAS-induced modulation of vesicle diffusiophoresis

Abstract

Understanding how per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) partition into biological membranes and alter their properties is central for elucidating PFAS toxicity. Here, we experimentally investigate how the partitioning of anionic PFAS affects the surface charge of phospholipid vesicles and consequently, their electrokinetically driven vesicle motion, in particular diffusiophoresis. We find that PFAS partitioning enhances vesicle diffusiophoresis, consistent with a model combining the Nernst-Planck and Langmuir adsorption equations. Desorption experiments, together with quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D), further reveal that substantial lipid loss occurs during PFAS partitioning. We attribute this loss to lipophobic interactions between the fluorocarbon chains of PFAS and the alkyl chains of lipids. Our findings provide new mechanistic insights into how PFAS may disrupt biological systems.

AI-assisted analytical theory in soft matter and multiphysics: new results and lessons from diffusiophoresis and bipolar membranes
Ankur Gupta
arXiv20 Sep 2026PreprintCC BY-NC-ND 4.0Full textPhysical chemistry Applied physics & instrumentationarXiv
Atomistic insights into ultrafast laser-induced local structural dynamics and wettability modulation in austenitic stainless steel 316L
Djafar Iabbaden, Ilemona S Omeje, Arshak A Tsaturyan +1
Materials & Design3 Sep 2026Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Full textGeneral physicsHAL
Disorder-induced modulation of the nonlinear Hall effect in Weyl semimetals
Juan A. Cañas, Daniel A. Bonilla, A. Martín-Ruiz
arXiv17 Sep 2026PreprintCC BY 4.0Full textCondensed matterarXiv
Optically-Induced Modulation and Programming of Diamond Photonic Cavities
Yuchun Zhu, Amirali Arabmoheghi, Nicolas Le Thomas +3
arXiv29 Sep 2026PreprintCC BY-NC-ND 4.0Full textCondensed matter Optics & photonicsarXiv
Magnetic field induced modulation of heat transport in CrPS₄ probed by TaIrTe₄ transverse Seebeck thermometry
Krishnaraajan Sundararajan, Sergio Alvarruiz, Cédric A. Cordero-Silis +5
arXiv16 Oct 2026PreprintCC BY 4.0Full textApplied physics & instrumentation Condensed matterarXiv

Cite

BibTeX RIS

BibTeX

@misc{han2026pfasinduced,
  title = {{PFAS-induced modulation of vesicle diffusiophoresis}},
  author = {Seungsu Han and Gbassey S. A. Oteme and Prathima Nalam and Sangwoo Shin},
  howpublished = {arXiv},
  year = {2026},
  month = nov,
  doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2611.07075},
  eprint = {2611.07075},
  archivePrefix = {arXiv},
  url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2611.07075},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}

RIS

TY  - UNPB
TI  - PFAS-induced modulation of vesicle diffusiophoresis
AU  - Seungsu Han
AU  - Gbassey S. A. Oteme
AU  - Prathima Nalam
AU  - Sangwoo Shin
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/11/04
PB  - arXiv
DO  - 10.48550/arxiv.2611.07075
UR  - https://arxiv.org/abs/2611.07075
AB  - Understanding how per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) partition into biological membranes and alter their properties is central for elucidating PFAS toxicity. Here, we experimentally investigate how the partitioning of anionic PFAS affects the surface charge of phospholipid vesicles and consequently, their electrokinetically driven vesicle motion, in particular diffusiophoresis. We find that PFAS partitioning enhances vesicle diffusiophoresis, consistent with a model combining the Nernst-Planck and Langmuir adsorption equations. Desorption experiments, together with quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D), further reveal that substantial lipid loss occurs during PFAS partitioning. We attribute this loss to lipophobic interactions between the fluorocarbon chains of PFAS and the alkyl chains of lipids. Our findings provide new mechanistic insights into how PFAS may disrupt biological systems.
ER  -

Abstract

Related

Cite