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Lipid Bilayer & Membrane Fluidity

Interactive 3D simulation of a phospholipid bilayer: watch amphipathic lipids self-assemble into a membrane, then tune temperature, cholesterol content and tail saturation to see the fluid mosaic model's gel, liquid-ordered and liquid-disordered phases in action.

Chemistry & Materials3DModerate60 FPS💧 Water

Cell membranes are not solid walls — they're a two-dimensional fluid of phospholipids, cholesterol and embedded machinery, self-assembled from nothing but the hydrophobic effect. This simulation renders an amphipathic phospholipid bilayer whose lipids diffuse laterally at a rate set by temperature, tail saturation and cholesterol content. Scramble the lipids into the surrounding water and watch them spontaneously reassemble into a bilayer, then tune the sliders to move the membrane between gel, liquid-ordered and liquid-disordered phases.

⚙ Under the hood

Interactive 3D simulation of a phospholipid bilayer: scramble the amphipathic lipids into water and watch them self-assemble, then tune temperature, cholesterol and tail saturation to move the membrane between gel, liquid-ordered and liquid-disordered phases.

Three.jschemistrybiochemistrymembranesself-assemblymolecular

3D · Three.js / WebGL renderer · 60 FPS target · runs fully client-side, no install