Self-assembled membranes of amphiphilic diblock copolymers enable comparisons of cohesiveness with lipid membranes over the range of hydrophobic thicknesses d=3-15 nm. At zero mechanical tension the breakdown potential V_c for polymersomes with d=15 nm is 9 V compared to 1 V for liposomes with d=3 nm. Nonetheless, electromechanical stresses at breakdown universally exhibit a square dependence on V_c, and membrane capacitance shows the expected strong d-dependence, conforming to simple thermodynamic models. The viscous nature of the diblock membranes is apparent in the protracted post-poration dynamics.
@article{arxiv.cond-mat/0107039,
title = {Electromechanical Limits of Polymersomes},
author = {H. Aranda-Espinoza and H. Bermudez and F. S. Bates and D. Discher},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/0107039},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
13 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables and 1 chair. Submitted to PRL (May 24, 2001)