Thermodynamic and theoretical aspects of cubic mesophases in nature and biological amphiphiles

Abstract

In the past two years a number of advances have been made in our understanding of the energetics of the phase behaviour of the inverse bicontinuous and the inverse micellar cubic phases. It has recently been made possible to qualitatively model their phase behaviour in terms of a competition between uniform mean interfacial curvature and hydrocarbon packing constraints. The calculation of interfacial geometries of constant mean curvature for the commonest bicontinuous cubic phases have shown that it is possible to remove the energetic degeneracy between them and explain some of their observed phase behaviour. Work on the formation of tubular connections between bilayers and the stabilisation of these connections is highly suggestive of the dynamics of forming inverse bicontinuous cubic phases and may be of relevance in understanding how such large scale structures form in cells.