This thesis presents the design, development and application of a number of platform
technologies for the study of lipid-phase behaviour and bio-membrane mechanics. This
includes an automated laboratory based X-ray beamline with a multi-capillary sample
chamber capable of undertaking small angle X-ray scattering measurements on a maximum
of 104 samples at a time as a function of temperature between 5 and 85 C. The
modular format of the system enables the user to simultaneously equilibrate samples at
eight different temperatures with an accuracy of +/-0.005 C. This system couples a rotating
anode generator and 2-D optoelectronic detector with Franks X-ray optics, leading
to typical exposure times of less than ve minutes for lyotropic liquid crystalline samples.
Beamline control including sample exchange and data acquisition has been fully
automated via a custom designed LabVIEW framework. In addition this thesis presents
an overview of the development of a suite of tools for undertaking fluctuation analysis
measurements of lipid vesicles under a variety of conditions including as a function of
hydrostatic pressure. These and other biophysical techniques have been used to study a
variety of binary lipidic systems determining key parameters ranging from spontaneous
curvature and bending rigidity through to p-T dependent phase behaviour.