The tension of framed membranes from computer simulations

• Published in: The European physical journal. E, Soft matter and biological physics Vol. 41; no. 3; pp. 42 - 11
• Main Authors: Hamkens, Daniel, Jeppesen, Claus, Ipsen, John H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 28.03.2018; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Biological and Medical Physics; Biophysics; Complex Fluids and Microfluidics; Complex Systems; Computer simulation; Condensed matter physics; Equations of state; Free energy; Membranes; Nanotechnology; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Polymer Sciences; Regular Article; Soft and Granular Matter; Surfaces and Interfaces; Thin Films; Soft Matter: Interfacial Phenomena and Nanostructured Surfaces
• ISSN: 1292-8941; 1292-895X; 2429-5299; 1292-895X
• DOI: 10.1140/epje/i2018-11651-6

. We have analyzed the behavior of a randomly triangulated, self-avoiding surface model of a flexible, fluid membrane subject to a circular boundary by Wang-Landau Monte Carlo computer simulation techniques. The dependence of the canonical free energy and frame tension on the frame area is obtained for flexible membranes. It is shown that for low bending rigidities the framed membrane is only stable above a threshold tension, suggesting a discontinuous transition from the collapsed (branched polymer) state to a finite tension extended state. In a tension range above this threshold tension the membranes display power-law characteristics for the equation of state, while higher tension levels includes both an extended linear (elastic) as well as a highly non-linear stretching regime. For semi-flexible membranes a transition from extended to buckled conformations takes place at negative frame tensions. Our analysis indicates that at zero frame tension the crumpling transition of fluid membranes show characteristics of both critical behavior and a discontinuous transition at low bending rigidities. Graphical abstract