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Tensions and free energies of formation of "solventless" lipid bilayers. Measurement of high contact angles.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Needham, D; Haydon, DA
Published in: Biophysical journal
March 1983

A method is described for the accurate measurement of the interfacial tension of lipid bilayer membranes containing little or no solvent. The tensions were obtained from the interfacial tensions of the equilibrium film-forming solution in the Plateau-Gibbs border, measured by conventional techniques, and the contact angle between the border and the bilayer. The contact angles in these systems are large (greater than 10 degrees) and were estimated by a new method that involved the injection of small known volumes of lipid solution into the bilayer so as to form a lens. Results have been obtained for monoolein-triolein, monoolein-squalene, and monoolein-squalene-decane systems. Half bilayer tensions in these systems were up to approximately 1 mN m-1 less than the single interface tensions. Although bilayer tension tended to increase with bilayer thickness, the interdependence of these quantities varied with the alkane solvents present. In the monoolein-squalene-decane systems, small concentrations of decane have a larger effect on tension than on thickness. Free energies of formation of the near-solventless bilayers were much greater than estimated from the simple application of Lifshitz theory.

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Published In

Biophysical journal

DOI

EISSN

1542-0086

ISSN

0006-3495

Publication Date

March 1983

Volume

41

Issue

3

Start / End Page

251 / 257

Related Subject Headings

  • Thermodynamics
  • Surface Tension
  • Solvents
  • Molecular Conformation
  • Lipid Bilayers
  • Biophysics
  • 51 Physical sciences
  • 34 Chemical sciences
  • 31 Biological sciences
  • 06 Biological Sciences
 

Citation

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Needham, D., & Haydon, D. A. (1983). Tensions and free energies of formation of "solventless" lipid bilayers. Measurement of high contact angles. Biophysical Journal, 41(3), 251–257. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0006-3495(83)84435-x
Needham, D., and D. A. Haydon. “Tensions and free energies of formation of "solventless" lipid bilayers. Measurement of high contact angles.Biophysical Journal 41, no. 3 (March 1983): 251–57. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0006-3495(83)84435-x.
Needham, D., and D. A. Haydon. “Tensions and free energies of formation of "solventless" lipid bilayers. Measurement of high contact angles.Biophysical Journal, vol. 41, no. 3, Mar. 1983, pp. 251–57. Epmc, doi:10.1016/s0006-3495(83)84435-x.
Journal cover image

Published In

Biophysical journal

DOI

EISSN

1542-0086

ISSN

0006-3495

Publication Date

March 1983

Volume

41

Issue

3

Start / End Page

251 / 257

Related Subject Headings

  • Thermodynamics
  • Surface Tension
  • Solvents
  • Molecular Conformation
  • Lipid Bilayers
  • Biophysics
  • 51 Physical sciences
  • 34 Chemical sciences
  • 31 Biological sciences
  • 06 Biological Sciences