Electroformation of giant vesicles on a non-electroconductive substrate

Electroformation of giant vesicles (GVs) from a lipid deposit on the surfaces of a platinum wire or a glass tube placed apart from but between the two parallel wire electrodes in water was demonstrated. It was found that the lipid deposit does not have to be in direct contact with the electrode surface for the GV formation. The substrate may be even non-electro conductive. Successful GV formation was also observed on a piece of poly(ethylene terephthalate) mesh that was held between two parallel planar indium tin oxide coated glass electrodes. In the planar system, the opening in the mesh was found to be crucial for the electroformation. These findings indicate that a phenomenon that requires proximity to the electrode surface could contribute little to the electroformation and further provide some important insights into the mechanism of the electroformation.