Electricity and mechanics of biomembrane systems: Flexoelectricity in living membranes

Flexoelectricity provides a reciprocal relationship between electricity and mechanics in membranes, i.e., between membrane curvature and polarization. Experimental evidence of biomembrane flexoelectricity (including direct and converse flexoelectric effect) is reviewed. Biological implications of flexoelectricity in membrane transport, membrane contact, mechanosensitivity, electromotility and hearing are underlined. Flexoelectricity enables membrane structures to function like soft micro- and nano-machines, sensors and actuators, thus providing important input to molecular electronics applications. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.