Electrical Breakdown of Bimolecular Lipid Membranes as an Electromechanical Instability

Abstract

The bimolecular lipid membrane (BLM) is modeled as a bulk elastic layer subject to a compressive electric force caused by applied voltages. Analysis of this model shows that a compressive instability develops when the electric stress exceeds a critical value. This instability tends to crush the film and thus rupture it. The predicted breakdown voltage, when compared with measured values for phosphatidylcholine and cholesterol, shows fair agreement, considering the uncertainty in the estimate of elastic parameters.

Finite element analysis of microelectrotension of cell membranes

“…Computations of ε z (Fig. 5a), predicted that the cell membrane was compressed (thinned) by the external electric field, and the degree of thinning was a function of the square of the input voltage amplitude, which is in agreement with Crowley (1973). Membrane thinning occurred maximally at the center of the ME tip and sharply dropped at the edge of the ME lumen.…”

Kinetics of permeability changes induced by electric impulses in chromaffin granules

“…c) Thinning of the membrane. Decrease in the thickness of the membrane is expected to precede a possible dielectric breakdown of the membrane arising from electrocompressive forces (Crowley, 1973;Zimmerman, Pilwat & Riemann, 1974). Although this process does not occur isotropically we may describe it by an average change in the thickness of the membrane.…”

Nanomechanics of electrospun phospholipid fiber

“…For instance, the elastic moduli of natural cholesterol and phosphatidylcholine were found to be 0.27 MPa and 0.03 MPa, respectively. 27 Moreover, the elastic moduli of electrospun CSS nanofibers were found to be dependent on the hydrolysis and polymerization degree of CSS molecules. 17 The less polymerized fibers displayed an elastic modulus ranging from 0.8 to 1 MPa, while the elastic modulus of the CSS fibers was determined to be 55.3 6 27.6 to 70.8 6 35 MPa.…”