Liquid membrane phenomena: Steady state energy conversion for composite membranes generated by cholesterol

Abstract

The efficiencies of electro-kinetic energy conversion across composite liquid membranes generated by cholesterol on one side and both sides of the supporting membrane have been evaluated for both electroosmosis and streaming potential. The efficiencies of energy conversion have also been calculated across cholesterol liquid membranes alone in the absence of supporting membrane. The results thus obtained have been found to be consistent with the linear theories of steady state thermodynamics. An attempt has been made to relate the maximum conversion efficiency characterizing the series composite membrane as a whole with the maximum conversion efficiency for its constituent membrane elements. Substitution of the values of various experimentally evaluated parameters into the relationship developed for series membrane yields results in fair agreement for the situation when cholesterol liquid membrane is generated on one side of the supporting membrane interface.