Electric-Field-Driven Deformation, Poration, and Phase Separation in Biomimetic Membranes

When  exposed to a DC electric pulse, giant vesicles made of bilayer membranes adopt peculiar  drum-like shapes and may collapse. We present experimental results and theoretical model suggesting that the edge  separates  porated (conducting) and intact (insulating) regions of the membrane. The time dependence of the edge location can serve as a quick method to estimate the critical voltage for membrane poration. Electrohydrodynamic analysis of the deformation and collapse dynamics provides a novel means to measure the membrane viscosity.  In the case of multicomponent membranes, the miscibility temperature (at which domains form in an initially homogeneous membrane) increases with applied electric field strength.