Mechanical aspects of lipid-bilayer phase transition studied by differential confocal microscopy

Summary form only given. Lipid bilayers have attracted much interest as idealized model systems for cellular membranes, because many physical properties of lipid bilayers, such as bending rigidity and surface compressibility, are close to those of cellular membranes. Lipid bilayers also serve as practical platforms for studying two-dimensional molecular motion. To understand membrane-related biophysical processes, such as endocytosis and exocytosis, or to utilize lipid bilayers as bio-materials, it is important to measure their mechanical properties, especially the bending rigidity, in different phases.