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A biological membrane is a form of [[lamellar phase]] [[lipid bilayer]]. The formation of lipid bilayers is an energetically preferred process when the [[glycerophospholipids]] described above are in an aqueous environment. This is known as the [[hydrophobic effect]]. In an aqueous system, the polar heads of lipids align towards the polar, aqueous environment, while the hydrophobic tails minimize their contact with water and tend to cluster together, forming a [[vesicle (biology)|vesicle]]; depending on the [[critical micelle concentration|concentration]] of the lipid, this biophysical interaction may result in the formation of [[micelle]]s, [[liposomes]], or [[lipid bilayer]]s. Other aggregations are also observed and form part of the polymorphism of [[amphiphile]] (lipid) behavior. [[Phase behaviour|Phase behavior]] is an area of study within [[biophysics]]. Micelles and bilayers form in the polar medium by a process known as the hydrophobic effect. When dissolving a lipophilic or amphiphilic substance in a polar environment, the polar molecules (i.e., water in an aqueous solution) become more ordered around the dissolved lipophilic substance, since the polar molecules cannot form [[hydrogen bond]]s to the lipophilic areas of the amphiphile. So in an aqueous environment, the water molecules form an ordered "[[clathrate]]" cage around the dissolved lipophilic molecule.

Translations:Lipid/35/en - Revision history

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