Polymersome

Both the membrane bending and area expansion moduli of electroformed polymersomes (polymer-based liposomes) fell within the range of lipid membrane measurements, but the giant polymersomes proved to be almost an order of magnitude tougher and sustained far greater areal strain before rupture.

The governing concepts for this biological self-assembly are general; for example, we expect synthetic analogs, such as charged polymersomes of diblock copolymers (47 ) and polyelectrolytes, to give rise to similar complex membrane architectures and "plastic" tubules for chemical delivery and a variety of other applications.