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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 1, 2026

Generation and Control of Electrohydrodynamic Flows in Aqueous Electrolyte Solutions

Generation and Control of Electrohydrodynamic Flows in Aqueous Electrolyte Solutions

Published on: September 7, 2018

Vesicle electrohydrodynamics.

Jonathan T Schwalbe¹, Petia M Vlahovska, Michael J Miksis

¹Department of Engineering Sciences and Applied Mathematics, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60202, USA.

Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics

|May 24, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

A uniform electric field can alter lipid bilayer vesicle shapes, transitioning them from oblate to prolate. In shear flow, this field stabilizes vesicle motion, preventing tumbling.

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Area of Science:

Biophysics
Fluid Dynamics
Soft Matter Physics

Background:

Lipid bilayer vesicles are model systems for biological cells.
Understanding vesicle dynamics in electric fields is crucial for cell manipulation and drug delivery.
Previous studies have explored vesicle behavior under various flow conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

To analyze the effect of a uniform electric field on lipid bilayer vesicle dynamics in simple shear flow.
To investigate the interplay of electric, hydrodynamic, bending, and tension stresses on vesicle shape.
To determine conditions under which electric fields can alter vesicle morphology and motion.

Main Methods:

A small amplitude perturbation analysis was employed.
Media were treated as leaky dielectrics.
Fluid motion was described using Stokes equations.
Vesicle shape was determined by balancing membrane stresses.

Main Results:

In the absence of shear flow, a DC electric field can induce a shape transition from oblate to prolate if the internal fluid is less conductive than the external fluid.
An applied electric field effectively damps the tumbling motion of vesicles in shear flow.
Vesicles in shear flow under an electric field adopt a stable tank-treading state.

Conclusions:

Uniform electric fields offer a method to control lipid bilayer vesicle shape and dynamics.
The conductivity contrast between internal and external fluids is a key factor in electric-field-induced shape changes.
Electric fields can stabilize vesicle behavior in shear flow, with implications for microfluidic applications.