Soft-Lubrication Drainage and Rupture in Particle-Driven Vesicles

Area of Science:

• Soft matter physics
• Biophysics
• Fluid dynamics

Background:

• Lipid vesicle deformation and rupture are critical for applications like magnetic giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs).
• Understanding active colloid-membrane interactions is key for cellular-scale chemical delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the elastohydrodynamics of vesicles propelled by a force-driven rigid inclusion.
• To reveal the mechanism of vesicle deformation and rupture under these conditions.

Main Methods:

• Simulating vesicles propelled by a force-driven rigid inclusion.
• Analyzing the dynamics of the thinning film between the inclusion and the vesicle membrane.
• Evaluating the maximal tension and mapping operating windows based on vesicle reduced area and size.

Main Results:

• A robust elastohydrodynamic mechanism was identified where the inclusion outpaces the vesicle.
• A symmetrically and self-similarly draining film is sustained, largely independent of initial vesicle shape.
• For soft membranes and small inclusions, monotonic tension increase can exceed lysis tension.

Conclusions:

• The study reveals a predictable mechanism for vesicle deformation and rupture driven by inclusions.
• An operating window for delivery applications is defined by vesicle properties and inclusion size.
• Findings are crucial for optimizing magnetic GUV design and understanding active colloid-membrane interactions.