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Shape equilibria of vesicles with rigid planar inclusions
Geunwoong Jeon1, Justin Fagnoni1, Hao Wan2
1Department of Physics, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.
Soft Matter
|July 10, 2024
Summary
Small solid domains in lipid vesicles dramatically alter their shapes, shifting from elongated to flattened forms. This shape change, driven by inclusion size, impacts vesicle mechanics and surface area.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Materials Science
- Soft Matter Physics
Background:
- Recent studies highlight two-phase lipid vesicles with 2D solid domains in fluid bilayers.
- These composite structures exhibit unique mechanical and shape properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate shape equilibria of closed vesicles with a single planar, circular inclusion.
- Analyze the influence of inclusion size and planar fraction on vesicle shape.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Helfrich model for fluid-planar composite vesicles.
- Employed analytical and computational approaches to study elastic ground states.
Main Results:
- Even small inclusions (few percent) shift ground state shapes from prolate to oblate.
- Inclusions alter optimal surface-to-volume ratios, deviating from spherical shapes.
- Small inclusions induce asymmetric shapes; larger ones (above 8%) lead to axisymmetric oblate shapes.
Conclusions:
- Inclusion size is a critical factor in determining composite vesicle shapes.
- Shape frustration arises from the interplay of 2D solid elasticity and vesicle topology.
- Findings offer insights into the emergent shape and mechanical responses of fluid-solid composite vesicles.
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