| Description |
Lipid rafts are nanoscale inclusions of proteins and lipids embedded in cell membranes. Membrane mediated forces play an important role in stabilizing such rafts against net aggregation. However, experimental studies to probe the nature of these interactions remain elusive due to nanometer length scales involved. Here, we use a model system of micron sized colloidal membranes doped with molecules shorter or longer than that of the bulk. Surprisingly, the dopant molecules form self-limited micron sized clusters. These clusters further self-organize into a wide variety of higher order structures such as hexagonal and square lattice arrays, lamellar patterns and polymer like chains. We measure the inter-cluster potential and quantitatively relate them to cluster induced distortions in the host membrane. Our work outlines a pathway for synthesis of highly mono-disperse clusters of complex shapes and suggests chirality as a possible mechanism that stabilizes finite-sized rafts in complex lipid bilayers.
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