  Small-angle X-ray scattering and phase-contrast microscopy experiments were
performed to investigate the effect of the osmotic pressure on vesicle
formation in a dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC)/water/NaI system.
Multi-lamellar vesicles were formed when a pure lipid film was hydrated with an
aqueous solution of NaI. On the other hand, uni-lamellar vesicles (ULVs) were
formed when a lipid film mixed with an enough amount of NaI was hydrated. To
confirm the effect of the osmotic pressure due to NaI, a free-energy
calculation was performed. This result showed that the osmotic pressure induced
an unbinding transition on the hydration process, which resulted in ULV
formation.
