Spreading of giant liposomes on anisotropically patterned substrates

The dynamic spreading of giant liposomes on anisotropically patterned substrates is investigated experimentally on vertically fixed spreading substrates. The giant liposomes are prepared through electroformation method. The substrates with anisotropic grooves on the surfaces are fabricated on silicon wafers by photolithography and dry etching. The gravitational force of giant liposomes is negligible. The spreading is investigated dynamically, and the evolution of the contact radius, specifically in the directions parallel and perpendicular to grooves, is traced. The effect of surface patterns on spreading is studied and the anisotropy in spreading behaviors is characterized by the contact angle difference and liposome elongation.

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► This work provides a new method to study liposome shape transformation behaviors.
► Characterization of the evolution of liposome shapes with time is enabled.
► Effect of surface patterns is studied, which lays a foundation for further studies.