Atomic force microscopy study of thick lamellar stacks of phospholipid bilayers

We report an atomic force microscopy (AFM) study on thick multilamellar stacks of approximately 10 microm thickness (about 1500 stacked membranes) of 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phoshatidylcholine deposited on silicon wafers. These thick stacks could be stabilized for measurements under excess water or solution. From the force curves we determine the compressional modulus B and the rupture force F(r) of the bilayers in the gel (ripple), in the …