Convection of electrolyte through a charged membrane produces net charge at membrane interfaces

Abstract — Editorial summary

This modelling study investigated why positive electrical potentials can appear outside cartilage during compression. Cartilage experiments recorded negative potentials within the tissue and positive signals extending into the saline bath. A charged-membrane transport model examined how convection disturbs mobile-ion distributions near membrane boundaries. The simulations predicted interfacial charge of opposite polarity on the two membrane sides, consistent with the observed external potentials. The work connects fluid-driven ion transport with boundary electrical effects relevant to cartilage electromechanical measurements.

Editorial synthesis based on archived conference abstract and technical results; not the authors’ verbatim abstract.