Work

The effect of curvature and topology on membrane hydrodynamics

Year: 2008

Type: article

Abstract: We study the mobilities of point-like and extended objects (rods) on a spherical membrane to show how these quantities are modified in a striking manner by the curvature and topology of the membrane. We also present theoretical calculations and experimental measurements of the membrane fluid velocity field around a moving rod bound to the crowded interface of a water-in-oil droplet. By using different droplet sizes, membrane viscosities, and rod lengths, we show that the viscosity mismatch between the interior and exterior fluids leads to a suppression of the fluid flow on small droplets that cannot be captured by the flat-membrane predictions.

Source: Europhysics Letters (EPL)

DOI: 10.1209/0295-5075/84/48001

Authors: M. L. Henle, R. McGorty, A. B. Schofield, A. D. Dinsmore, A. J. Levine

Institutions: University of California, Los Angeles, Harvard University, University of Massachusetts Amherst, University of Edinburgh, California NanoSystems Institute

Language: English

Topic: Lipid Membrane Structure and Behavior

Subfield: Molecular Biology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, Division of Materials Research

Award: G6600245049