Separation of components in lipid membranes induced by shape transformation

Vesicles composed of a two component membrane with each component characterized by different spontaneous curvature are investigated by minimization of the free energy consisting of Helfrich elastic energy and entropy of mixing. The results show that mixing and demixing of membrane components can be induced by elongating a vesicle or changing its volume, if one of the components forms a complex with macromolecules on the outer monolayer. The influence of elastic coefficients on the separation of components is also examined.