Issue |
Europhys. Lett.
Volume 62, Number 5, June 2003
|
|
---|---|---|
Page(s) | 767 - 774 | |
Section | Interdisciplinary physics and related areas of science and technology | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1209/epl/i2003-00438-4 | |
Published online | 01 May 2003 |
Wrapping of a spherical colloid by a fluid membrane
1
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, UCLA Box 951569, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
2
Department of Physics and Astronomy, UCLA Box 951547, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
Received:
6
January
2003
Accepted:
7
April
2003
We theoretically study the elastic deformation of a fluid membrane induced by an adhering spherical colloidal particle within the framework of a Helfrich energy. Based on a full optimization of the membrane shape we find a continuous binding and a discontinuous envelopment transition, the latter displaying a potentially substantial energy barrier. A small-gradient approximation permits membrane shape and complex energy to be calculated analytically. While this only leads to a good representation of the complex geometry for very small degrees of wrapping, it still gives the correct phase boundaries in the regime of low tension.
PACS: 87.16.Dg – Membranes, bilayers, and vesicles / 87.15.Kg – Molecular interactions; membrane-protein interactions / 46.70.Hg – Membranes, rods and strings
© EDP Sciences, 2003
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