中国物理B ›› 2015, Vol. 24 ›› Issue (6): 68701-068701.doi: 10.1088/1674-1056/24/6/068701

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Curvature-induced lipid segregation

郑斌a b, 孟庆田a, Robin L. B. Selingerc, Jonathan V. Selingerc, 叶方富b   

  1. a College of Physics and Electronics, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014, China;
    b Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics and Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Physics of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China;
    c Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA
  • 收稿日期:2015-04-03 修回日期:2015-04-08 出版日期:2015-06-05 发布日期:2015-06-05

Curvature-induced lipid segregation

Zheng Bin (郑斌)a b, Meng Qing-Tian (孟庆田)a, Robin L. B. Selingerc, Jonathan V. Selingerc, Ye Fang-Fu (叶方富)b   

  1. a College of Physics and Electronics, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014, China;
    b Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics and Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Physics of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China;
    c Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA
  • Received:2015-04-03 Revised:2015-04-08 Online:2015-06-05 Published:2015-06-05
  • Contact: Ye Fang-Fu E-mail:fye@iphy.ac.cn
  • About author:87.16.dt; 64.75.St; 61.30.Dk

摘要:

We investigate how an externally imposed curvature influences lipid segregation on two-phase-coexistent membranes. We show that the bending-modulus contrast of the two phases and the curvature act together to yield a reduced effective line tension. On largely curved membranes, a state of multiple domains (or rafts) forms due to a mechanism analogous to that causing magnetic-vortex formation in type-II superconductors. We determine the criterion for such a multi-domain state to occur; we then calculate respectively the size of the domains formed on cylindrically and spherically curved membranes.

关键词: curvature, phase separation, lipid membrane, rafts

Abstract:

We investigate how an externally imposed curvature influences lipid segregation on two-phase-coexistent membranes. We show that the bending-modulus contrast of the two phases and the curvature act together to yield a reduced effective line tension. On largely curved membranes, a state of multiple domains (or rafts) forms due to a mechanism analogous to that causing magnetic-vortex formation in type-II superconductors. We determine the criterion for such a multi-domain state to occur; we then calculate respectively the size of the domains formed on cylindrically and spherically curved membranes.

Key words: curvature, phase separation, lipid membrane, rafts

中图分类号:  (Structure, static correlations, domains, and rafts)

  • 87.16.dt
64.75.St (Phase separation and segregation in thin films) 61.30.Dk (Continuum models and theories of liquid crystal structure)