Determination of electrostatic potentials at biological interfaces using electron-electron double resonance
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 16, 2026

Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy as a Tool for Electrochemical Rate Constant Estimation
Published on: October 10, 2018
1Jules Stein Eye Institute, University of California, Los Angeles 90024-7008.
Abstract:
A new general method for the determination of electrostatic potentials at biological surfaces is presented. The approach is based on measurement of the collision frequency of a charged nitroxide in solution with a nitroxide fixed to the surface at the point of interest. The collision frequency is determined with 14N:15N double label electron-electron double resonance (ELDOR). As a test, the method is shown to give values for phospholipid bilayer surface potentials consistent with the Gouy-Chapman theory, a simple model shown by many independent tests to accurately describe charged, planar surfaces. In addition, the method is applied to determine the electrostatic potential near the surface of DNA. The results indicate that the potential is significantly smaller than that predicted from Poisson-Boltzmann analysis, but is in qualitative agreement with that predicted by Manning's theory of counter ion condensation. The method is readily extended to measurement of surface potentials of proteins.
More Related Videos
09:00Electrochemical Detection of Deuterium Kinetic Isotope Effect on Extracellular Electron Transport in Shewanella oneidensis MR-1
Published on: April 16, 2018
10:23Characterizing Mediated Extracellular Electron Transfer in Lactic Acid Bacteria with a Three-Electrode, Two-Chamber Bioelectrochemical System
Published on: August 23, 2024
Related Concept Videos
Electrospray Ionization (ESI) Mass Spectrometry
ESI utilizes electrical energy to transfer ions from the liquid phase of the sample into the...
Calculations of Electric Potential II
Consider a...
Interfacial Electrochemical Methods: Overview
Electrochemical Systems
Applications of EMF Measurements
The Electrical Double Layer