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Fluid vesicles with viscous membranes in shear flow
Hiroshi Noguchi1, Gerhard Gompper
1Institut für Festkörperforschung, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52425 Jülich, Germany.
Physical Review Letters
|February 9, 2005
Summary
Increasing membrane viscosity alters vesicle dynamics in shear flow, causing transitions from steady tank treading to tumbling. Shear also induces shape transformations between discocyte and prolate forms, depending on viscosity and volume.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Fluid Dynamics
- Computational Science
Background:
- Vesicle dynamics in shear flow are crucial for understanding cellular mechanics and transport.
- Previous models often simplify membrane properties, limiting insights into complex behaviors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of membrane viscosity on vesicle behavior under shear flow.
- To explore shear-induced shape transformations in vesicles.
Main Methods:
- Developed a novel simulation technique combining 3D multiparticle collision dynamics (MPCD) for the solvent.
- Employed a dynamically triangulated membrane model to represent vesicle structure.
Main Results:
- Vesicles transition from steady tank treading to unsteady tumbling as membrane viscosity increases.
- Observed shear-induced discocyte-to-prolate and prolate-to-discocyte shape changes.
- These transformations are dependent on reduced volume and membrane viscosity.
Conclusions:
- Membrane viscosity is a key factor governing vesicle dynamics and shape in shear flow.
- The developed simulation approach provides a powerful tool for studying complex vesicle behavior.
- A simplified model can explain the observed shape transformation phenomena.