(162d) Controlling the Passage of Colloidal Particles across an Amphiphilic Membrane

We examine the interaction of fluid bilayer membranes, formed by amphiphiles, with colloidal particles. Transport of particles across a membrane is crucial to cell biology and of potential importance in technologies based on lipid or copolymer vesicles. We use a dissipative particle dynamics model to study the behavior of a fluid membrane in the presence of an attractive particle. We study the the effect of particle size and shape, as well as membrane composition, on the interaction of particle and membrane.