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Related Concept Videos

Electric Field of a Non Uniformly Charged Sphere01:22

Electric Field of a Non Uniformly Charged Sphere

Gauss's law states that the electric flux through any closed surface equals the net charge enclosed within the surface. This law is beneficial for determining the expressions for the electric field for a particular charge distribution if the electric flux is known.
Consider a non-uniformly charged sphere, for which the density of charge depends only on the distance from a point in space and not on the direction. Such a sphere has a spherically symmetrical charge distribution. Here, the electric...
Gauss's Law: Spherical Symmetry01:26

Gauss's Law: Spherical Symmetry

A charge distribution has spherical symmetry if the density of charge depends only on the distance from a point in space and not on the direction. In other words, if the system is rotated, it doesn't look different. For instance, if a sphere of radius R is uniformly charged with charge density ρ0, then the distribution has spherical symmetry. On the other hand, if a sphere of radius R is charged so that the top half of the sphere has a uniform charge density ρ1 and the bottom half has a uniform...
Potential Due to a Polarized Object01:29

Potential Due to a Polarized Object

A neutral atom consists of a positively charged nucleus surrounded by a negatively charged electron cloud. When placed in an external electric field, the external electric force pulls the electrons and nucleus apart, opposite to the intrinsic attraction between the nucleus and the electrons. The opposing forces balance each other with a slight shift between the center of masses of the nucleus and the electron cloud, resulting in a polarized atom. On the other hand, a few molecules, like water,...
Electric Field of a Charged Disk01:23

Electric Field of a Charged Disk

The simplest case of a surface charge distribution is the uniformly charged disk. Calculating its electric field also helps us calculate the electric field of a large plane of charge.
The system's symmetry is in the cylindrical directions across the plane of the charge. As a result, the electric fields created by various surface charge elements nullify each other in the direction parallel to the surface. Thereby, the resulting electric field is perpendicular to the plane. Since the disk is...
Spherical and Cylindrical Capacitor01:26

Spherical and Cylindrical Capacitor

A spherical capacitor consists of two concentric conducting spherical shells of radii R1 (inner shell) and R2 (outer shell). The shells have equal and opposite charges of +Q and −Q, respectively. For an isolated conducting spherical capacitor, the radius of the outer shell can be considered to be infinite.
Conventionally, considering the symmetry, the electric field between the concentric shells of a spherical capacitor is directed radially outward. The magnitude of the field, calculated by...
Induced Electric Dipoles01:28

Induced Electric Dipoles

A permanent electric dipole orients itself along an external electric field. This rotation can be quantified by defining the potential energy because the external torque does work in rotating it. Then, the potential energy is minimum at the parallel configuration and maximum at the antiparallel configuration. While the former is a stable equilibrium, the latter is an unstable equilibrium.
Since the absolute value of potential energy holds no physical meaning, its zero value can be chosen as per...

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Updated: Jun 12, 2026

Phase Behavior of Charged Vesicles Under Symmetric and Asymmetric Solution Conditions Monitored with Fluorescence Microscopy
10:08

Phase Behavior of Charged Vesicles Under Symmetric and Asymmetric Solution Conditions Monitored with Fluorescence Microscopy

Published on: October 24, 2017

Stability of spherical vesicles in electric fields.

Tetsuya Yamamoto1, Said Aranda-Espinoza, Rumiana Dimova

  • 1Theory & Bio-Systems, Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, 14424 Potsdam, Germany. tetsujava@hotmail.com

Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids
|June 26, 2010
PubMed
Summary

This study explains how spherical vesicles change shape in alternating electric fields due to membrane conductivity. The Maxwell-Wagner mechanism drives these morphological transitions at the micrometer scale.

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Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Soft Matter Physics
  • Electrochemistry

Background:

  • Spherical vesicles are model systems for cell membranes.
  • Their stability and deformation are influenced by external electric fields.
  • Understanding these interactions is crucial for cell manipulation and drug delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To theoretically investigate the stability of spherical vesicles in alternating electric fields.
  • To elucidate the mechanisms behind vesicle morphological transitions under asymmetric conductivity.
  • To correlate theoretical predictions with experimental observations.

Main Methods:

  • Theoretical analysis of vesicle deformation.
  • Balance of curvature elastic energies and Maxwell stresses.
  • Modeling of charge accumulation via the Maxwell-Wagner mechanism.

Main Results:

  • The theory successfully describes four types of vesicle morphological transitions.
  • Identified the role of displacement currents in accumulating charges.
  • Established a link between electric field redirection and vesicle shape changes.

Conclusions:

  • The Maxwell-Wagner mechanism is the key molecular driver for vesicle morphological transitions.
  • The developed theory provides a framework for understanding vesicle behavior in ac electric fields.
  • This research clarifies the physics behind experimentally observed vesicle dynamics.