Abstract
The theory of undulations of fluid membranes is reviewed and in some parts extended. The functional dependences of the steric interaction of undulating membranes are derived in a new way from simple physical arguments. Discussing the competition between steric repulsion and van der Waals attraction, one finds that membranes which usually separate (e.g. giant egg lecithin vesicles) should cohere if under lateral tension. The contours of two cohering vesicles observed when egg lecithin was swelling are analysed to show that the net energy of cohesion can be extremely small (≲10−5 erg cm−2).
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