BPS2026 – Dynamic stress response and programmable material failure in biomimetic geometric membrane composites

Cellular membranes form a continuum of interconnected geometries, yet how this composite architecture determines core mechanical properties and resilience to tension- or bending-induced failure remains underexplored. Here, we show that a simple geometric membrane composite—a cylindrical lipid nanotube connected to a flat reservoir bilayer, a nanotube-flat reservoir (NT-FR) arrangement common in cells—exhibits adaptive material behavior that regulates stress across scales. Under mesoscale mechanical loading, compositional (packing) stress, and constant-field electroporation, the composite redistributes tension to the nanotube, where stress concentrates and failure initiates, thereby localizing membrane breach and enabling controlled failure. Direct measurements reveal linear elasticity up to defect-mediated failure, with curvature-composition coupling that guides defect nucleation, resealable pore formation, and fission specifically within nanotubes as localized, controllable pathways. These findings establish geometric membrane composites as “smart” natural materials and argue that treating cellular membranes as an interconnected continuum is essential for understanding how architecture governs mechanics, stress resilience, and failure modes. This work was supported by the Russian Science Foundation (grant # 22-15-00265-П).