Effects of Substrate Defects on Lipid Bilayer Compression Dynamics

In vivo and in vitro lipid bilayers are commonly supported by subcellular structures, particles, and artificial substrates. Deformation of the underlying structure can lead to large, localized deformations as the bilayer deforms to avoid stretching. In this work, we consider the effect of defects within the underlying substrate by simulating different bilayers supported by continuous and nanoporous substrates. We show that the bilayer behavior greatly depends on strain rate, and that substrate defects may contribute to the formation of nanotubes for compressed substrate.