1,358 research outputs found
Registered and antiregistered phase separation of mixed amphiphilic bilayers
We derive a mean-field free energy for the phase behaviour of coupled bilayer
leaflets, which is implicated in cellular processes and important to the design
of artificial membranes. Our model accounts for amphiphile-level structural
features, particularly hydrophobic mismatch, which promotes antiregistration
(AR), in competition with the `direct' trans-midplane coupling usually studied,
promoting registration (R). We show that the phase diagram of coupled leaflets
allows multiple \textit{metastable} coexistences, then illustrate the kinetic
implications with a detailed study of a bilayer of equimolar overall
composition. For approximate parameters estimated to apply to phospholipids,
equilibrium coexistence is typically registered, but metastable antiregistered
phases can be kinetically favoured by hydrophobic mismatch. Thus a bilayer in
the spinodal region can require nucleation to equilibrate, in a novel
manifestation of Ostwald's `rule of stages'. Our results provide a framework
for understanding disparate existing observations, elucidating a subtle
competition of couplings, and a key role for phase transition kinetics in
bilayer phase behaviour.Comment: Final authors' version. Important typo in Eq. A24 corrected. To
appear in Biophysical Journa
Instability and front propagation in laser-tweezed lipid bilayer tubules
We study the mechanism of the `pearling' instability seen recently in
experiments on lipid tubules under a local applied laser intensity. We argue
that the correct boundary conditions are fixed chemical potentials, or surface
tensions \Sigma, at the laser spot and the reservoir in contact with the
tubule. We support this with a microscopic picture which includes the intensity
profile of the laser beam, and show how this leads to a steady-state flow of
lipid along the surface and gradients in the local lipid concentration and
surface tension (or chemical potential). This leads to a natural explanation
for front propagation and makes several predictions based on the tubule length.
While most of the qualitative conclusions of previous studies remain the same,
the `ramped' control parameter (surface tension) implies several new
qualitative results. We also explore some of the consequences of front
propagation into a noisy (due to pre-existing thermal fluctuations) unstable
medium.Comment: 12 page latex + figures using epsf.sty to be published in Journal de
Physique II, January 199
Some properties of membranes in nematic solvents
The fluctuation spectrum of membranes in nematic solvents is altered by the
boundary condition imposed on the bulk nematic director by the curved membrane.
We discuss some properties of single and multi-membrane systems in nematic
solvents, primarily based on the Berreman-de~Gennes model. We show that:
membranes in nematic solvents are more rigid and less rough than in their
isotropic counterparts; have a different Helfrich steric stabilization energy,
proportional to , and hence a different compression modulus in the
lamellar state; and can exhibit phase separation via unbinding during a quench
into the nematic state. We also discuss the preparation and possible
experimental effects of nematic-mediated surfactant membrane system
A Minimal Model for Vorticity and Gradient Banding in Complex Fluids
A general phenomenological reaction-diffusion model for flow-induced phase
transitions in complex fluids is presented. The model consists of an equation
of motion for a nonconserved composition variable, coupled to a Newtonian
stress relations for the reactant and product species. Multivalued reaction
terms allow for different homogeneous phases to coexist with each other,
resulting in banded composition and shear rate profiles. The one-dimensional
equation of motion is evolved from a random initial state to its final
steady-state. We find that the system chooses banded states over homogeneous
states, depending on the shape of the stress constitutive curve and the
magnitude of the diffusion coefficient. Banding in the flow gradient direction
under shear rate control is observed for shear-thinning transitions, while
banding in the vorticity direction under stress control is observed for
shear-thickening transitions.Comment: 11 pages, submitted to Eur Phys J
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