EFFECTS OF FIXED-CHARGE DISTRIBUTION AND PH ON THE ELECTROPHORETIC MOBILITY OF BIOLOGICAL CELLS

The electrophoretic mobility of biological cells is investigated theor etically. In particular, the effects of the distribution of the charge s in the surface layer and the pH of bulk liquid phase on the mobility of cells are examined. The former includes the fixed charges due to t he dissociation of the functional groups and the charges due to the pe netrated electrolyte ions. The present analysis extends previous resul ts in that the fixed charges are distributed nonuniformly across the s urface layer of a cell. It is found that the distribution of the fixed charges in the surface layer has a significant effect on its electrop horetic mobility. Thus, assuming that the fixed charges are homogeneou sly distributed in the surface layer of a cell may lead to a significa nt deviation.