Effect of Bilayer Thickness on Membrane Bending Rigidity
Abstract
The bending rigidity kc of bilayer vesicles self-assembled from amphiphilic diblock copolymers has been measured using single and dual-micropipet techniques. These copolymers are nearly a factor of 5 greater in hydrophobic membrane thickness d than their lipid counterparts, and an order of magnitude larger in molecular weight Mn. The macromolecular structure of these amphiphiles lends insight into and extends relationships for traditional surfactant behavior. We find the scaling of kc with thickness to be nearly quadratic, in agreement with existing theories for bilayer membranes. The results here are key to understanding and designing soft interfaces such as biomembrane mimetics.
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