Forming Giant Vesicles by Electroformation

There are several techniques currently in use for the formation of giant lipid vesicles one common method is described here the electroformation technique, in which GUVs are generated by applying an alternating electric field across a thin film of hydrated lipid bilayers. 

3 IMAGING MEMBRANES USING ATOMIC EORCE MICROSCOPY 

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is an experimental technique that uses an extremely sharp probe to measure the nanoscale structure of surfaces. Membranes can have an interesting structure on this length scale if there are lipid domains or transmembrane proteins present, for example, the lipid rafts discussed in Section 6.3.2 and associated proteins. AFM can be used to map the topology of a model lipid bilayer or extracted biological membrane if the membrane can be transferred to a very smooth surface. 

The AFM produces an image by moving a very sharp tip across a surface this can be the top surface of a lipid bilayer deposited on a substrate. The AFM tip, mounted on the end of a flexible cantilever, is deflected up or down as it scans across the surface of the sample, mapping the surface topology. As the tip is deflected, the position of a laser beam reflected 

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