On the stability of membrane,foam and emulsion bilayers with respect to rupture by hole nucleation

Bilayer membranes and bilayer foam or emulsion films were considered thermodynamically from a unified point of view as two-dimensional phases. The work of fluctuation formation of holes in a bilayer was determined and it was shown that the bilayer can be either stable or unstable with respect to rupture by hole nucleation. When the bilayer is in contact with a solution, its stability with respect to rupture was found to decrease with decreasing concentration of dissolved amphiphiles, and a limiting concentration was shown to exist, below which the bilayer is subject to rupture by hole nucleation. The connection is discussed between existing formulae for the work of fluctuation formation of holes in bilayers.