The present invention provides novel amino lipids and a method for synthesizing these compounds. According to the invention, the amino lipids have a structure of the following formula (I) wherein Z is either hydrogen or -X1 R1, R1 and R2 are the same or different and independently C6-C24 alkyl, C6-C24 alkenyl, C6-C24 alkynyl, or C6-C24 acyl, which can be optionally substituted with a C1-C6 hydrocarbyl group, X1 and X2 are the same or different, either S or S=O or S(=O)2, Y is either (II) or heterocycles of the formula (III) or (IV) wherein k and I are integers from O to 2, R3 and R4 are either the same or different and independently C1-C12 alkyl, C1-C12 alkenyl, or C1-C12 alkynyl, wherein alkyl, alkenyl or alkynyl may be optionally substituted with a C1-C6 hydrocarbyl group, or R3 and R4 optionally join to form, together with the nitrogen atom to which they are bound, an optionally substituted N-heterocyclic ring of 3 to 10 atoms comprising 1 to 7 nitrogen atoms, or R3 and R4 are the same or different alkyl amines； R5 and R6 are either absent or is hydrogen or C1-C12 alkyl to provide a quaternary amine, R7 is either hydrogen or C1-C12 alkyl, m is an integer from 1 to 12, n is an integer from 1 to 12, and p is an integer from 1 to 3, wherein preferably Y = N for p = 2 or 3.
