Undulation instability of lipid membranes under an electric field.
The influence of an external electric field on a poorly conductive membrane such as a lipid bilayer is studied theoretically. The unbalanced electric stress created by an ionic current across a non-perfectly flat membrane gives rise to a destabilizing surface energy enhancing undulations. The deformation of a membrane attached to a frame is derived and the electrohydrodynamic instability of a free floating membrane is studied. We find a most unstable mode of undulation, of wavelength in the microm range, connected to the crossover between membrane and solvent dominated dissipations.
Sens
Pierre
P
CNRS-Institut Charles Sadron, 6 rue Boussingault, 67083 Strasbourg, France. sens@ics.u-strasbg.fr
Isambert
H
H
D004548:Elasticity; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D007700:Kinetics; D008051:Lipid Bilayers / Q000737:chemistry*; D008563:Membrane Lipids / Q000737:chemistry*; D008566:Membranes / Q000737:chemistry; D008954:Models, Biological; D008956:Models, Chemical
D008051:Lipid Bilayers; D008563:Membrane Lipids