Phase heterogeneities of lipidic aggregates

TL;DR

This paper introduces a model explaining domain-wall configurations in binary lipid mixtures, linking their structural dynamics to topological defect formation, and calculates defect density and energy of these configurations.

Contribution

It presents a novel model connecting lipid aggregate domain structures with topological defect theory, providing quantitative defect density and energy calculations.

Findings

Calculated density of kink-type defects

Determined energy of lipid configuration states

Linked lipid phase dynamics to topological defect formation

Abstract

We propose a model for explanation the "domain-wall" type configuration states in binary lipid mixtures of cationic and neutral lipids, associated with observed relaxation effects in their aggregates. We apply the analogy with formation of Kibble-\.Zurek topological defects, which we suppose connected with structural dynamics of the lipid phases. In frames of the proposed model, the density of kink-type defects and the energy of the configurations are calculated.