Contact angle hysteresis and phase separation in dry phospholipid films with cholesterol deposited on mica surface

A series of apparent advancing and receding contact angles of water and diiodomethane was measured on the phospholipid/cholesterol monolayers physisorbed on the mica surfaces. It was found that the contact angles and their hystereses vary significantly depending on the lipid film composition and mutual miscibility of both components. These changes were much greater for water than diiodomethane. When the phase separation occurred, the hysteresis of water contact angle significantly decreased whereas the diiodomethane contact angle hysteresis increased considerably. Different behavior of both liquids may result from different mechanisms of the liquid droplets penetration/retention and points to structural changes that occur within the monolayers, including molecules rearrangement when exposed to water. The structure of the studied monolayer surfaces was confirmed by means of the microscopic techniques. The images are a visual evidence of cholesterol precipitation out the binary films at their specific stoichiometry. The results provide a new insight into the advancing/receding contact angles origin (and contact angle hysteresis) of polar and apolar liquids depending on the phospholipid/cholesterol monolayer composition, as well explanation of the origin of the contact angle hysteresis on the model biological surfaces, which are molecularly smooth.