https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/i2012-12049-2
Regular Article
Phase-field model for the morphology of monolayer lipid domains
1
Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Center for Genomic Regulation (CRG) and UPF, Barcelona, Spain
2
Departament d’Estructura i Constituents de la Matèria, Universitat de Barcelona, E-08028, Barcelona, Spain
3
Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Biología, Universidad Complutense, 28040, Madrid, Spain
4
Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid (CSIC), 28049, Madrid, Spain
* e-mail: felix.campelo@crg.cat
Received:
17
June
2011
Revised:
8
November
2011
Accepted:
1
June
2012
Published online:
21
June
2012
Phase-separated domains exist in multicomponent lipid monolayers and bilayers. We present here a phase-field model that takes into account the competition between lipid dipole-dipole interactions and line tension to define the domain morphology. A dynamic equation for the phase-field is solved numerically showing stationary non-circular shapes like starfish shapes. This phase-field model could be applied to study the dynamic properties of complex problems like phase segregation in pulmonary surfactant membranes and films.
Key words: Biological Physics: Biomimetic Systems
© EDP Sciences, SIF, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, 2012