ELECTRICAL DOUBLE LAYER IN BIOLOGICAL MEMBRANES

Anh-Vu Do January 31st ENGR 4710 T 8:00 AM & 3:30 PM

DOUBLE LAYER PHENOMENA METALSOLUTION INTERFACE

Charge separation occurs at the interface region, where the difference in nature of the mobile charge in the two regions considered: electrons in the solid and ions in the electrolytic solution The electronic charge distribution in the electrode extends into the solution farther than the charges generated by the ionic cores, and this excess of charges must be balanced by the opposite charge in the electrolyte

Thus, a double layer is created based on the separation of charges, through a parallel arrangement of opposite charges.
Gamburg, Y. D., & Zangari, G. (2011). Theory and Practice of Metal Electrodeposition (pp. 27-29). New York, NY: Springer.

DOUBLE LAYER- METAL-SOLUTION INTERFACE

There must be a balancing counter charge, where there is a charge surface. This counter charge is provided by the solution. The charges will not be uniformly distributed throughout the solution, but will be concentrated near the charged surface. This concept is central to electrochemistry, and reactions within this interfacial boundary is what govern external observations of electrochemical reactions

CHEM 435. Physical Chemistry Laboratory, 14 (n.d.). In New Mexico State Univeristy. Retrieved January 31, 2012, from http://web.nmsu.edu/~snsm/classes/chem435/Lab14/double_layer.html

BIOLOGICAL MEMBRANE

In biological processes, the direction an ion moves across a membrane is determined by the electrochemical gradient. In the mitochondria and chloraplast, proton gradients are used to generate a chemiosmotic potential that is also known as a proton motive force.

An electrochemical gradient has two components. First, the electrical component is caused by a charge difference across the lipid membrane.

Second, a chemical component is caused by a differential concentration of ions across the membrane. The combination of these two factors determines the thermodynamically favorable direction for an ion's movement across a membrane.

This potential energy is used for the synthesis of ATP by oxidative phosophorylation.

The difference in the electrochemical potential on either sides of the membrane is the driving force to moving ions across the membrane.

Electrochemical gradient. (2011, December). FL: Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Retrieved January 31, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrochemical_gradient

BIOLOGICAL MEMBRANE DOUBLE LAYER

Differences in concentration of ions on opposite sides of a cellular membrane lead to a voltage called the membrane potential. Many ions have a concentration gradient across the membrane, including potassium (K+), which is at a high inside and a low concentration outside the membrane. Sodium (Na+) and chloride (Cl) ions are at high concentrations in the extracellular region, and low concentrations in the intracellular regions. These concentration gradients provide the potential energy to drive the formation of the membrane potential. This voltage is established when the membrane has permeability to one or more ions. In the simplest case, illustrated on the next slide, if the membrane is selectively permeable to potassium, these positively charged ions can diffuse down the concentration gradient to the outside of the cell, leaving behind uncompensated negative charges.
Membrane potential (2012, January). FL: Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Retrieved January 31, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Membrane_potential

The "uncompensated" positive charges outside the cell, and the uncompensated negative charges inside the cell, physically line up on the membrane surface and attract each other across membrane.(creating a double layer)
It is the separation of these charges across the membrane that is the basis of the membrane potential.

Membrane potential (2011, December). FL: Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Retrieved January 31, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Membrane_potential