Electrohydrodynamic model of vesicle deformation in alternating electric fields

TL;DR

This paper presents an analytical electrohydrodynamic model explaining how giant vesicles deform under AC electric fields, considering membrane and fluid properties, and predicts shape transitions based on frequency and conductivity.

Contribution

The model introduces a perturbation approach for vesicle deformation analysis, incorporating membrane and fluid dielectric properties, and predicts shape transitions with respect to frequency and conductivity.

Findings

Vesicle shape depends on field frequency and conductivity conditions.

Transition from prolate to oblate shape occurs at a critical frequency.

Deformation evolution is influenced by membrane viscosity and properties.

Abstract

We develop an analytical theory to explain the experimentally-observed morphological transitions of giant vesicles induced by AC electric fields (1). The model treats the inner and suspending media as lossy dielectrics, while the membrane as an ion-impermeable flexible incompressible-fluid sheet. The vesicle shape is obtained by balancing electric, hydrodynamic, and bending stresses exerted on the membrane. Considering a nearly spherical vesicle, the solution to the electrohydrodynamic problem is obtained as a regular perturbation expansion in the excess area. The theory predicts that stationary vesicle deformation depends on field frequency and conductivity conditions. If the inner fluid is more conducting than the suspending medium, the vesicle always adopts a prolate shape. In the opposite case, the vesicle undergoes a transition from a prolate to oblate ellipsoid at a critical frequency, which the theory identifies with the inverse membrane charging time. At frequencies higher than the inverse Maxwell-Wagner polarization time, the electrohydrodynamic stresses become too small to alter the vesicle's quasi-spherical rest shape. The analysis shows that the evolution towards the stationary vesicle deformation strongly depends on membrane properties such as viscosity. The model can be applied to rationalize the transient and steady deformation of biological cells in electric fields.