Application of a Thermodynamic Model for Charged Interfaces to Lipid Membranes

Recent developments in materials science have led to the creation of electrodes with an enormous range of morphologies.  There has been considerable interest in the behavior of electrolytes confined in nanoscale domains, and there is a long-standing literature involving kinetic models of macroporous interfaces.  Relatively little attention has been paid to mesoscale domains, however, and we use simple thermodynamic arguments to predict a novel phenomenon that links the distribution of ions near the interface with the composition of the electrolyte and mesoscale surface morphology.  The results have significant implications for device design.