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Biophysical Journal 12: 123-130 (1972)
© 1972 the Biophysical Society

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Mechanical Equilibrium of Biological Membranes

K. H. Adams

ABSTRACT

The nature of mechanical and electrical forces on biological membranes in relation to mechanical equilibrium is examined. The presence of a double layer of electric charge is shown to give rise to an effective pressure drop across a curved membrane of finite thickness. For certain geometric shapes of a membrane, the magnitude of the pressure drop due to electrostatic forces may set a limit on the hydrostatic pressure drop that the membrane can support without buckling. The results are applied to the equilibrium shape of the red blood cell.






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Copyright © 1972 by the Biophysical Society.