Genesis of a Horizontal Electric Field within the Lipid Bilayer: A Bilayer-Embedded Actuation Platform
Abstract
The electric field of biological membranes has long been treated as a one-dimensional quantity, defined solely by the component normal to the bilayer (EVERT). Here, we present a bioelectronic platform that enables controlled generation of a horizontal electric field within the hydrophobic core of a lipid bilayer (EHORZ). The device incorporates micrometer-scale electrodes embedded within the bilayer torus, allowing sustained EHORZ actuation. Applied EHORZ selectively and reversibly accelerates slow inactivation of a voltage-gated potassium channel while leaving activation essentially unchanged. Physical considerations further indicate that EHORZ arises naturally wherever membrane potential varies spatially, including at action potential wavefronts, suggesting broader physiological relevance. This platform provides experimental access to vector-resolved membrane electric fields and establishes a generalizable strategy for multidirectional electrical control of soft-matter biointerfaces.
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