A fundamental understanding of cell-nanomaterial interaction is of essential importance to nanomedicine and safe applications of nanotechnology. Here we investigate the adhesive wrapping of a soft elastic vesicle by a lipid membrane. We show that there exist a maximum of five distinct wrapping phases based on the stability of full wrapping, partial wrapping, and no wrapping states. The wrapping phases depend on the vesicle size, adhesion energy, surface tension of membrane, and bending rigidity ratio between vesicle and membrane. These results are of immediate interest to the study of vesicular transport and endocytosis or phagocytosis of elastic particles into cells.

The deformation of soft nanocapsules during cell binding and endocytosis leads to a lower cellular uptake than the stiff ones.

Two-dimensional materials interact with biological systems and the natural environment in unique ways determined by their atomically thin geometry and enormous chemical diversity. This review focused on the basic interaction mechanisms and their implications for technology development and safe material design.