Issue 9, 2010

Wrinkling and electroporation of giant vesicles in the gel phase

Abstract

Electric pulses applied to fluid phospholipid vesicles deform them and can induce the formation of pores, which reseal after the end of the pulse. The mechanical and rheological properties of membranes in the gel phase differ significantly from those of fluid membranes, thus a difference in the vesicle behavior in electric fields is expected. However, studies addressing this problem are scarce. Here, we investigate the response of giant gel-phase vesicles to electric pulses and resolve the dynamics of deformation with microsecond resolution. We find that the critical transmembrane potential leading to poration is several times higher as compared to that of fluid membranes. In addition, the resealing of the pores is arrested. Interestingly, the vesicle shapes change from ellipsoidal to spherocylindrical during the electric pulse and the membrane becomes periodically wrinkled with ridges aligned with the field direction and wavelengths in the micrometre range. Such membrane wrinkling has not been reported previously. The corrugations comply with universal laws of wrinkling of surfaces with lengthscale dimensions from nanometres to metres.

Graphical abstract: Wrinkling and electroporation of giant vesicles in the gel phase

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
10 Dec 2009
Accepted
29 Jan 2010
First published
04 Mar 2010

Soft Matter, 2010,6, 1990-1996

Wrinkling and electroporation of giant vesicles in the gel phase

R. L. Knorr, M. Staykova, R. S. Gracià and R. Dimova, Soft Matter, 2010, 6, 1990 DOI: 10.1039/B925929E

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements