Composite membrane deformation on the mesoscopic length scale - art. no. 010901

The physics of soft materials can be investigated using nuclear spin-lattic e relaxation, which depends on the spectral densities of motion in the MHz range. For the first time, NMR relaxation has been used to study influences of the acyl length, polar head groups, a cosurfactant, and cholesterol on the viscoelastic properties of membrane lipids. The results imply the conce pt of elastic deformation is relevant on lengths approximate to the bilayer thickness and less, involving a broad spectrum of collective modes which c ontribute to the forces between lipid bilayers.