Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 2, 2026

Automated Lipid Bilayer Membrane Formation Using a Polydimethylsiloxane Thin Film
Published on: July 10, 2016
Lipid membranes with an edge
R Capovilla1, J Guven, J A Santiago
1Departamento de Física, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Apartado Postal 14-740, 07000 México, DF, Mexico. capo@fis.cinvestav.mx
Abstract:
Consider an open lipid membrane with a free exposed edge. The energy describing this membrane is quadratic in the extrinsic curvature; that describing the edge is proportional to its length. We determine the boundary conditions satisfied by the equilibria of the membrane on this edge. The derivation is free of any assumptions on the symmetry of the membrane geometry. With respect to the axially symmetric case, there is an additional boundary condition that is identically satisfied in that limit. By considering the balance of the forces operating at the edge, a physical interpretation for the boundary conditions is provided. The effect of the addition of a Gaussian rigidity term for the membrane is also considered.
Related Concept Videos
What are Lipids?
Membrane Lipids
Phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine, and sphingomyelin are the most common phospholipids present in mammalian membranes. At physiological pH, phosphatidylserine is negatively charged, while the other three...
Asymmetric Lipid Bilayer
Lipids as Anchors
The carboxy-terminal of most of the prenylated proteins, such as Ras proteins, contains the...
Membrane Domains
Protein Domains
The membrane comprises a group of distinct proteins responsible for carrying out a cell's specific function. For example, the plasma membrane of the human sperm, or a single germ cell, contains a unique set of proteins in the anterior...
Membrane Lipids
Phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine, and sphingomyelin are the most common phospholipids present in mammalian membranes. At physiological pH, phosphatidylserine is negatively charged, while the other three...

