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Abstract
Studying the mechanics of living cells can be challenging. Model systems are often employed, replicating selected portions of the cell in a simplified environment. Droplet interface bilayers (DIBs) are one such model platform, forming biomembranes at the interfaces of lipid-coated droplets. The liquid-in-liquid membrane scaffold allows for dynamic membrane properties and estimations of membrane energetics, providing both electromechanical characterization and control. This work exploits this to first examine self-assembly within lipid membranes then develops new biomolecular architectures inspired by the brain. The goal of the first project is to measure the influence of the internal leaflet of the membrane on the organization of the outer leaflet, tracking the energetic penalty associated with misaligned lipid domains over time. The second project develops a neuron-inspired DIB network, driving changes in the membranes through asymmetric exchanges of charge.