Polyhedral vesicles with a large bending modulus of the membrane, such as a gel phase lipid membrane, were studied using a Brownian dynamics simulation. The vesicles exhibited various polyhedral morphologies such as tetrahedron and cube shapes. We clarified two types of line defects on the edges of the polyhedrons: cracks of both monolayers at the spontaneous curvature of the monolayer $C_0<0,$ and a crack of the inner monolayer at $C_0>~0.$ The inner monolayer curved positively around the latter defect. Our results suggest that the polyhedral morphology is controlled by $C_0.$

• Received 10 September 2002

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.67.041901