Abstract:
We study the lateral and transverse diffusion of amphiphiles in two-component bilayer membranes, using a coarse-grained model for amphiphilic molecules and combined Monte Carlo-Molecular Dynamics simulations. Membrane structural properties, such as the mean thickness, are also measured. The dependence of such properties on membrane composition, inter-molecular interactions, and amphiphile stiffness is determined. In particular, we show that addition of shorter amphiphiles drives the model membrane towards a more fluid state, with increased amphiphile lateral diffusion rates. These results can be understood in the framework of a simple free-volume model. Furthermore, we observe an increase in the trans-membrane diffusion when the interaction energy of amphiphiles with their neighboring molecules is decreased.
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Received: 6 December 2002 / Accepted: 17 April 2003 / Published online: 27 May 2003
RID="a"
ID="a"e-mail: imparato@mpikg-golm.mpg.de
RID="b"
ID="b"e-mail: shillcock@mpikg-golm.mpg.de
RID="c"
ID="c"e-mail: lipowsky@mpikg-golm.mpg.de
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Imparato, A., Shillcock, J. & Lipowsky, R. Lateral and transverse diffusion in two-component bilayer membranes. Eur Phys J E 11, 21–28 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/i2002-10125-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1140/epje/i2002-10125-x