Zigzag lipid tubules.

We report a method based on poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) stamp-assisted moving contact line to bend lipid tubules into zigzags on glass substrates. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) reveals that the zigzag lipid tubules buckle at the bent sites. The measurements of buckling heights as a function of bending angles suggest a gradual buckling mode. By imaging the zigzag tubules with AFM under different loading forces, we study the correlation between the loading force and the tubule compression. The reduced stiffness at the buckling sites of zigzag tubules suggests that lipid molecules are reorganized during the gradual buckling.