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The unbinding transition of mixed fluid membranes

Shigeyugi Komura·David Andelman
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Abstract

A phenomenological model for the unbinding transition of multi-component fluid membranes is proposed, where the unbinding transition is described using a theory analogous to Flory-Huggins theory for polymers. The coupling between the lateral phase separation of inclusion molecules and the membrane-substrate distance explains the phase coexistence between two unbound phases as observed in recent experiments by Marx et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 138102 (2002)]. Bellow a critical end-point temperature, we find that the unbinding transition becomes first-order for multi-component membranes.

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Shigeyugi Komura, David Andelman. 2002-05-09. The unbinding transition of mixed fluid membranes. https://doi.org/10.1209/epl%2Fi2003-00322-3

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