Relaxor Ferroelectric-Like Spatiotemporal Memory in Field-Driven Lipid Bilayers
Dima Bolmatov1, Dmitry Zav'yalov2, Takeshi Egami3,4
1Department of Physics and Astronomy, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79409, United States.
Langmuir : the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids
|January 12, 2026
Summary
Lipid bilayers exhibit unique memory properties, acting as nonlinear dielectrics with persistent polarization after electric field exposure. This behavior offers a physical basis for nanoscale information storage.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Materials Science
- Soft Matter Physics
Background:
- Lipid membranes are typically viewed as passive barriers.
- Their nonlinear dielectric properties and memory effects are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the dielectric response of lipid bilayers under time-dependent electric fields.
- To explore the potential for nanoscale information storage in lipid membranes.
Main Methods:
- All-atom molecular dynamics simulations.
- Directionally resolved Van Hove analysis.
- Investigation of free-energy landscapes.
Main Results:
- Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine bilayers show relaxor ferroelectric-like, unipolar polarization.
- Persistent, asymmetric polarization and nanoscale polarization memory observed.
- Potassium chloride enhances polarization effects through dielectric screening.
Conclusions:
- Protein-free lipid bilayers function as nonlinear, history-dependent dielectrics.
- Demonstrated potential for field-tunable electromechanical coupling.
- Provides a physical basis for nanoscale information storage and neuromorphic phenomena.
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