Lipid
bilayers go through a self assembly process in the formation of
membranes. The cell membrane consists primarily of a thin layer of
amphipathic phospholipids which spontaneously arrange so that the
hydrophobic "tail" regions are shielded from the surrounding polar
fluid, causing the more hydrophilic "head" regions to associate with the
cytosolic and extracellular faces of the resulting bilayer. This forms a
continuous, spherical lipid bilayer. Forces such as Van der Waal,
electrostatic, hyrdogen bonds, and noncovalent interactions, are all
forces that contribute to the formation of the lipid bilayer. Overall,
hydrophobic interactions are the major driving force in the formation of
lipid bilayers.
