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Relaxation and curvature-induced molecular flows within multicomponent membranes
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Morris, Richard G. (2014) Relaxation and curvature-induced molecular flows within multicomponent membranes. Physical Review E (Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics), Volume 89 (Number 6). Article number 062704. doi:10.1103/PhysRevE.89.062704 ISSN 1539-3755.
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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.89.062704
Abstract
The quantitative understanding of membranes is still rooted in work performed in the 1970s by Helfrich and others, concerning amphiphilic bilayers. However, most biological membranes contain a wide variety of nonamphiphilic molecules too. Drawing analogy with the physics of nematic–non-nematic mixtures, we present a dynamical (out-of-equilibrium) description of such multicomponent membranes. The approach combines nematohydrodynamics in the linear regime and a proper use of (differential-) geometry. The main result is to demonstrate that one can obtain equations describing a cross-diffusion effect (similar to the Soret and Dufour effects) between curvature and the (in-membrane) flow of amphiphilic molecules relative to nonamphiphilic ones. Surprisingly, the shape of a membrane relaxes according to a simple heat equation in the mean curvature, a process that is accompanied by a simultaneous boost to the diffusion of amphiphiles away from regions of high curvature. The model also predicts the inverse process, by which the forced bending of a membrane induces a flow of amphiphilic molecules towards areas of high curvature. In principle, numerical values for the relevant diffusion coefficients should be verifiable by experiment.
Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||||
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Divisions: | Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Science > Physics | ||||||
Journal or Publication Title: | Physical Review E (Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics) | ||||||
Publisher: | American Physical Society | ||||||
ISSN: | 1539-3755 | ||||||
Official Date: | 9 June 2014 | ||||||
Dates: |
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Volume: | Volume 89 | ||||||
Number: | Number 6 | ||||||
Article Number: | Article number 062704 | ||||||
DOI: | 10.1103/PhysRevE.89.062704 | ||||||
Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||||
Publication Status: | Published |
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