Biophysical Journal 47: 673-678 (1985)
© 1985 the Biophysical Society

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Donnan potential and surface potential of a charged membrane.

ABSTRACT

A model is presented for the electrical potential distribution across a charged biological membrane that is in equilibrium with an electrolyte solution. We assume that a membrane has charged surface layers of thickness d on both surfaces of the membrane, where the fixed charges are distributed at a uniform density N within the layers, and that these charged layers are permeable to electrolyte ions. This model unites two different concepts, that is, the Donnan potential and the surface potential (or the Gouy-Chapman double-layer potential). Namely, the present model leads to the Donnan potential when d much greater than 1/k' (k' is the Debye-Hückel parameter of the surface charge layer) and to the surface potential as d----0, keeping the product Nd constant. The potential distribution depends significantly on the thickness d of the surface charge layer when d less than or approximately equal to 1/k'.