Using cryo-electron microscopy to determine thermodynamic and elastic properties of membranes

Both cryo transmission electron and freeze-fracture microscopy provide the high resolution images necessary to elucidate the structures and size distributions of spontaneous vesicles formed from cationic and anionic surfactant mixtures, lipid and polymer mixtures, and mixed lipid and protein mixtures. From the size distributions and structures, estimates of the elastic and thermodynamic properties of the membrane can be determined to begin to relate molecular properties to bilayer parameters.