The Application of Exact Electrodiffusion Theory to Ion Transport Across Lipid Bilayer Membranes

The question of how ions interact with each other and with the potential energy barrier in thin lipid bilayer membranes has interested investigators for several years. The application of electrodiffusion theory to the study of this question is the central theme of this work. We have calculated current-voltage curves for barriers of various shapes and heights, in each case by means of numerically integrating the exact electrodiffusion equation as well as this same equation in the constant field approximation. We have also calculated the total charge in the membrane for the same conditions under which we have calculated the current-voltage curves