Lipid-Diffusion-Limited Kinetics of Vesicle Growth

We derive and solve kinetic equations describing spontaneous lipid-diffusion-limited ripening of vesicles in a supersaturated solution of lipid molecules. The process is assumed to occur via the Lifshitz−Slyozov scenario; i.e., the larger vesicles are considered to grow at the expense of smaller ones via lipid desorption, diffusion, and condensation. The increase of the average vesicle radius is found to follow the power law 〈R〉 ∝ tx with x = 1/2.