Giant lipid vesicles entrapped in a gelatin gel are viewed under fluorescence microscopy. Here, the bilayer is doped with a fluorescent lipid. Note that many of the vesicles are elongated. Such vesicle gels could be useful for drug delivery. This study is in collaboration with Dr. Wolfgang Losert, UMD, Physics.

Textures of nematic and hexagonal liquid crystals of cromolyn.
Research of Andrei Kostko and Bani Cipriano.

Liquid crystals (LCs) exhibit birefringent textures when viewed under polarized light microscopy. Here, the textures of nematic (left) and hexagonal (right) LCs of an aromatic drug, cromolyn are shown. Cromolyn forms LCs because of its tendency to stack its pi rings - a mechanism similar to the stacking of DNA.

Birefringent hydrogels forming a cross pattern.
Research of Bani Cipriano and Peter Thomas

We have found ways to make anisotropic polymer hydrogels and these show a striking birefringence under crossed polarizers. Here, two cylindrical gels are arranged to form an X and viewed through crossed polarizer sheets. The gels are birefringent only along the edges, which leads to this striking pattern of light.