Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Dielectric Polarization in a Capacitor01:31

Dielectric Polarization in a Capacitor

5.0K
The presence of a dielectric medium in a capacitor not only changes the voltage and capacitance but also affects the electric field. In general, dielectrics can be of two types: polar and nonpolar. In a polar dielectric, the positive and negative charges in the molecules are separated by a distance and hence have a permanent dipole moment. In contrast, no such charge separation exists in a nonpolar dielectric, however the nonpolar molecules get polarized in the presence of an external electric...
5.0K
Ampere-Maxwell's Law: Problem-Solving01:17

Ampere-Maxwell's Law: Problem-Solving

747
A parallel-plate capacitor with capacitance C, whose plates have area A and separation distance d, is connected to a resistor R and a battery of voltage V. The current starts to flow at t = 0. What is the displacement current between the capacitor plates at time t? From the properties of the capacitor, what is the corresponding real current?
To solve the problem, we can use the equations from the analysis of an RC circuit and Maxwell's version of Ampère's law.
For the first part of...
747
Electric Field of a Charged Disk01:23

Electric Field of a Charged Disk

2.4K
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...
2.4K
Capacitors01:15

Capacitors

528
Capacitors play a crucial role in car radios, where they filter and store frequencies to ensure clear signal reception. Essentially serving as energy storage devices, capacitors store energy within their electric field and are composed of two parallel conducting plates separated by a dielectric.
When a voltage source is connected to a capacitor, positive and negative charges accumulate on the opposite plates. This accumulation generates a potential difference that equals the product of the...
528
Electrostatic Boundary Conditions in Dielectrics01:27

Electrostatic Boundary Conditions in Dielectrics

1.4K
When an electric field passes from one homogeneous medium to another, crossing the boundary between the two mediums imparts a discontinuity in the electric field. This results in electrostatic boundary conditions that depend on the type of mediums the field propagates through.
Consider a case where both the mediums across a boundary are two different dielectric materials. Recall that the electric field and electric displacement are proportional and related through the material's...
1.4K
Gauss's Law in Dielectrics01:17

Gauss's Law in Dielectrics

4.6K
Consider a polar dielectric placed in an external field. In such a dielectric, opposite charges on adjacent dipoles neutralize each other, such that the net charge within the dielectric is zero. When a polar dielectric is inserted in between the capacitor plates, an electric field is generated due to the presence of net charges near the edge of the dielectric and the metal plates interface. Since the external electrical field merely aligns the dipoles, the dielectric as a whole is neutral. An...
4.6K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Equilibrium fluctuations of a quasi-spherical vesicle: role of the membrane dissipation.

Soft matter·2026
Same author

Instability of a fluctuating biomimetic membrane driven by an applied uniform dc electric field.

Physical review. E·2025
Same author

Microswimmer dynamics in a Hele-Shaw droplet.

Philosophical transactions. Series A, Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences·2025
Same author

Clinical Pharmacology Characterization of the First-In-Class Oncolytic Viral Therapy T-VEC in Adults and Pediatric Subjects.

Journal of clinical pharmacology·2025
Same author

Electrodeformation of DMPC vesicle membranes near the main phase transition.

Biophysical journal·2025
Same author

Turbulent-like flows in quasi two-dimensional dense suspensions of motile colloids.

Soft matter·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 8, 2025

Finite Element Modelling of a Cellular Electric Microenvironment
08:23

Finite Element Modelling of a Cellular Electric Microenvironment

Published on: May 18, 2021

3.5K

Diffuse-charge dynamics across a capacitive interface in a dc electric field.

Shuozhen Zhao1, Bhavya Balu1, Zongxin Yu1

  • 1Northwestern University, Engineering Sciences and Applied Mathematics, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA.

Physical Review. E
|June 19, 2025
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study analyzes how lipid bilayers charge when exposed to electric fields. We modeled membrane charging dynamics using the Poisson-Nernst-Planck equations to understand ion distributions.

More Related Videos

AC Electrokinetic Phenomena Generated by Microelectrode Structures
20:38

AC Electrokinetic Phenomena Generated by Microelectrode Structures

Published on: July 28, 2008

11.6K
Real-Time DC-dynamic Biasing Method for Switching Time Improvement in Severely Underdamped Fringing-field Electrostatic MEMS Actuators
11:44

Real-Time DC-dynamic Biasing Method for Switching Time Improvement in Severely Underdamped Fringing-field Electrostatic MEMS Actuators

Published on: August 15, 2014

10.4K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Sep 8, 2025

Finite Element Modelling of a Cellular Electric Microenvironment
08:23

Finite Element Modelling of a Cellular Electric Microenvironment

Published on: May 18, 2021

3.5K
AC Electrokinetic Phenomena Generated by Microelectrode Structures
20:38

AC Electrokinetic Phenomena Generated by Microelectrode Structures

Published on: July 28, 2008

11.6K
Real-Time DC-dynamic Biasing Method for Switching Time Improvement in Severely Underdamped Fringing-field Electrostatic MEMS Actuators
11:44

Real-Time DC-dynamic Biasing Method for Switching Time Improvement in Severely Underdamped Fringing-field Electrostatic MEMS Actuators

Published on: August 15, 2014

10.4K

Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Electrochemistry
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Cell membranes, composed of lipid bilayers, are crucial for cellular function.
  • Lipid bilayers act as capacitors in electric fields, enabling potential differences.
  • Understanding membrane charging dynamics is vital for cell electrophysiology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze the charging dynamics of a planar lipid membrane under a uniform DC electric field.
  • To investigate the evolution of electric potential and ion distributions in bulk solutions separated by the membrane.
  • To derive asymptotic solutions for thin Debye layers and weak electric fields.

Main Methods:

  • Modeling the membrane as a zero-thickness capacitive interface.
  • Solving the Poisson-Nernst-Planck equations for electric potential and ion distributions.
  • Deriving asymptotic solutions in limiting cases of thin Debye layers and weak fields.

Main Results:

  • The study provides a theoretical framework for understanding membrane charging.
  • The Poisson-Nernst-Planck equations successfully model ion distributions and potential evolution.
  • Asymptotic solutions offer insights into the behavior of the system under specific conditions.

Conclusions:

  • The charging dynamics of lipid bilayers in electric fields can be effectively modeled.
  • The Poisson-Nernst-Planck framework is suitable for analyzing ion transport across membranes.
  • This research contributes to the fundamental understanding of membrane electrostatics and ion transport.