A new computational method for membrane compressibility: Bilayer mechanical thickness revisited (Biophysical Journal)

Because lipid bilayers can bend and stretch in ways similar to thin elastic sheets, physical models of bilayer deformation have utilized mechanical constants such as the moduli for bending rigidity (KC) and area compressibility (KA). However, the use of these models to quantify the energetics of membrane deformation associated with protein-membrane interactions and the membrane response to stress is often hampered by the shortage of experimental data suitable for the estimation of the mechanical constants of various lipid mixtures.