BIIONIC POTENTIAL OF CHARGED MEMBRANES - EFFECTS OF THE DIFFUSION BOUNDARY-LAYERS

The biionic potential of charged membranes has been studied theoretica lly. A closed, analytical solution to the Nernst-Planck equations desc ribing the multiionic transport through the charged membrane and the d iffusion boundary layers has been obtained. Several limiting expressio ns, corresponding to negligible diffusion boundary layer effects, low bathing solution concentration, and low fixed charge concentration, ha ve been discussed, and the experimental conditions which ensure their validity have been analyzed. The results from the model have been fina lly compared to recent experimental data corresponding to membranes wi th high charge density, and the influence of the boundary layers has b een found to be significant.