The double fixed charge membrane. Low frequency dielectric dispersion

An analysis is made of the AC characteristics of a membrane consisting of two fixed charge regions of opposite sign, in contact. It is shown that the equivalent parallel capacitance and conductance of such a membrane undergo a strong dispersion at low frequencies. The dielectric dispersion is a result of polarization effects in the diffusion of coions in each of the two fixed charge lattices. This, at low frequencies, gives rise to a very large diffusion capacitance. The form of the dispersion characteristics is very similar to those observed for synthetic-fused anion-cation membranes and various cellular membranes.