scholarly journals Low frequency weak electric fields can induce structural changes in water

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. e0260967
Author(s):  
Iman Rad ◽  
Rainer Stahlberg ◽  
Kurt Kung ◽  
Gerald H. Pollack

Low frequency electric fields were exposed to various water samples using platinum electrodes mounted near the water surface. Responses were monitored using a spectro-radiometer and a contact-angle goniometer. Treatment of DI (deionized), EZ (Exclusion Zone), and bulk water with certain electromagnetic frequencies resulted in a drop of radiance persisting for at least half an hour. Compared to DI water, however, samples of EZ and bulk water showed lesser radiance drop. Contact-angle goniometric results confirmed that when treated with alternating electric fields (E = 600 ± 150 V/m, f = 7.8 and 1000 Hz), droplets of EZ and bulk water acquired different charges. The applied electric field interacted with EZ water only when electrodes were installed above the chamber, but not beneath. Further, when DI water interacted with an electric field applied from above (E = 600 ± 150 V/m, f = 75 Hz), its radiance profile became similar to that of EZ water. Putting these last two findings together, one can say that application of an electric field on DI water from above (E = 600 ± 150 V/m, f = 7.8 to 75 Hz) may induce a molecular ordering in DI water similar to that of EZ water.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johannes P. Dürholt ◽  
Babak Farhadi Jahromi ◽  
Rochus Schmid

Recently the possibility of using electric fields as a further stimulus to trigger structural changes in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) has been investigated. In general, rotatable groups or other types of mechanical motion can be driven by electric fields. In this study we demonstrate how the electric response of MOFs can be tuned by adding rotatable dipolar linkers, generating a material that exhibits paralectric behavior in two dimensions and dielectric behavior in one dimension. The suitability of four different methods to compute the relative permittivity κ by means of molecular dynamics simulations was validated. The dependency of the permittivity on temperature T and dipole strength μ was determined. It was found that the herein investigated systems exhibit a high degree of tunability and substantially larger dielectric constants as expected for MOFs in general. The temperature dependency of κ obeys the Curie-Weiss law. In addition, the influence of dipolar linkers on the electric field induced breathing behavior was investigated. With increasing dipole moment, lower field strength are required to trigger the contraction. These investigations set the stage for an application of such systems as dielectric sensors, order-disorder ferroelectrics or any scenario where movable dipolar fragments respond to external electric fields.


2001 ◽  
Vol 114 (8) ◽  
pp. 1515-1520 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.J. Rosenspire ◽  
A.L. Kindzelskii ◽  
H.R. Petty

Previously, we have demonstrated that NAD(P)H levels in neutrophils and macrophages are oscillatory. We have also found that weak ultra low frequency AC or pulsed DC electric fields can resonate with, and increase the amplitude of, NAD(P)H oscillations in these cells. For these cells, increased NAD(P)H amplitudes directly signal changes in behavior in the absence of cytokines or chemotactic factors. Here, we have studied the effect of pulsed DC electric fields on HT-1080 fibrosarcoma cells. As in neutrophils and macrophages, NAD(P)H levels oscillate. We find that weak (~10(-)(5) V/m), but properly phased DC (pulsed) electric fields, resonate with NAD(P)H oscillations in polarized and migratory, but not spherical, HT-1080 cells. In this instance, electric field resonance signals an increase in HT-1080 pericellular proteolytic activity. Electric field resonance also triggers an immediate increase in the production of reactive oxygen metabolites. Under resonance conditions, we find evidence of DNA damage in HT-1080 cells in as little as 5 minutes. Thus the ability of external electric fields to effect cell function and physiology by acting on NAD(P)H oscillations is not restricted to cells of the hematopoietic lineage, but may be a universal property of many, if not all polarized and migratory eukaryotic cells.


2004 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 215-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Vegiri

The origin of the dramatic increase of the reorientational and structural relaxation rates of single water molecules in clusters of size N = 16, 32, and 64 at T = 200 K, under the influence of an external, relatively weak electric field (~0.5 107 V/cm) is examined through molecular dynamics simulations. The observed effect is attributed not to any profound structural changes, but to the increase of the size of the molecular cage. The response of water to an electric field in this range shows many similarities with the dynamics of water under low pressure. By referring to simulations and experiments from the literature, we show that in both cases the observed effects are dictated by a common mechanism.


2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina Peratta ◽  
Andres Peratta ◽  
Dragan Poljak

The paper introduces a three dimensional multidomainboundary element model of a pregnant woman and foetus for the analysis of exposure to high voltage extremely low frequency electric fields. The definition of the differentphysical and geometrical properties of the relevant tissues is established according to medical information available in existing literature. The model takes into account changes in geometry, body mass, body fat, and overall chemical composition in the body which influence the electrical properties, throughout the different gestational periods. The developed model is used to solve the case of exposure to overhead power transmission lines at different stages of pregnancy including weeks 8, 13, 26 and 38. The results obtained are in line with those published in the earlier works considering different approaches. In addition, a sensitivity analysis involving varying scenarios of conductivity, foetus postures and geometry for each stage is defined and solved. Finally, a correlation between the externally applied electric field and the current density inside the foetus is established and the zones of maximum exposure are identified.


RSC Advances ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (80) ◽  
pp. 76716-76723 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinghao Li ◽  
Jun Cai ◽  
Lili Sun ◽  
Yue Yue ◽  
Deyuan Zhang

Manipulation and assembly of complicated metallic Spirulina-templated microcoils can be achieved through alternating electric fields.


1980 ◽  
Vol 239 (5) ◽  
pp. R424-R427 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. A. Marino ◽  
J. M. Cullen ◽  
M. Reichmanis ◽  
R. O. Becker ◽  
F. X. Hart

The action of a 60-Hz, 5 kV/m electric field on erythrocyte parameters in mice was determined. No effects attributable to the magnitude of the field were found, but a transition either from or to an environment containing the field caused decreased red blood cell concentrations and decreased hematocrits. The failure of others to observe effects on erythrocyte parameters following exposure to low-frequency electric fields may have been due to an inappropriate choice of duration of exposure.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yufan Wu ◽  
Stephen Fried ◽  
Steven Boxer

<div><p>Electrostatic interactions play a pivotal role in enzymatic catalysis and are increasingly modeled explicitly in computational enzyme design; nevertheless, they are challenging to measure experimentally. Using vibrational Stark effect (VSE) spectroscopy, we have measured electric fields inside the active site of the enzyme ketosteroid isomerase (KSI). These studies have shown that these fields can be unusually large, but it has been unclear to what extent they specifically stabilize the transition state (TS) relative to a ground state (GS). In the following, we use crystallography and computational modeling to show that KSI’s intrinsic electric field is nearly perfectly oriented to stabilize the geometry of its reaction’s TS. Moreover, we find that this electric field adjusts the orientation of its substrate in the ground state so that the substrate needs to only undergo minimal structural changes upon activation to its TS. This work provides evidence that the active site electric field in KSI is preorganized to facilitate catalysis and provides a template for how electrostatic preorganization can be measured in enzymatic systems. <br></p></div>


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 46-51
Author(s):  
B. P. Sharfarets ◽  

The hydrodynamics of electrophoresis under the simultaneous impact of constant and alternating electric fields is considered. It has been shown that when the constant and alternating external fields are combined, the energy of the constant electric field is transferred into the alternating hydrodynamic field. An example is given of a dispersed medium in which a giant dispersion of the dielectric constant can arise, which in turn can contribute to an increase in the total electrophoresis rate. Analogies of the behavior of the considered dispersed medium with the action of an electroacoustic transducer based on the use of electrokinetic phenomena are given.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kia Dastani ◽  
Mahdi Moghimi Zand ◽  
Hanie Kavand ◽  
Reza Javidi ◽  
Amin Hadi ◽  
...  

AbstractElectroporation is defined as cell membrane permeabilization under the application of electric fields. The mechanism of hydrophilic pore formation is not yet well understood. When cells are exposed to electric fields, electrical stresses act on their surfaces. These electrical stresses play a crucial role in cell membrane structural changes, which lead to cell permeabilization. These electrical stresses depend on the dielectric properties of the cell, buffer solution, and the applied electric field characteristics. In the current study, the effect of electric field frequency on the electrical stresses distribution on the cell surface and cell deformation is numerically and experimentally investigated. As previous studies were mostly focused on the effect of electric fields on a group of cells, the present study focused on the behavior of a single cell exposed to an electric field. To accomplish this, the effect of cells on electrostatic potential distribution and electric field must be considered. To do this, Fast immersed interface method (IIM) was used to discretize the governing quasi-electrostatic equations. Numerical results confirmed the accuracy of fast IIM in satisfying the internal electrical boundary conditions on the cell surface. Finally, experimental results showed the effect of applied electric field on cell deformation at different frequencies.


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