Electrophoretic mobility of human erythrocytes. On the applicability of the charged layer model.

The limitations of previous linear electrokinetic theories are discussed. A special model of the surface charge distribution, based on the minimum condition of the interfacial electrostatic free energy, is introduced. The model describes the electrophoretic mobility, taking into account the electroosmotic flow through the surface macromolecular layer and the surface conductivity. This nonlinear electrophoretic theory describes experimental data obtained with human erythrocytes. Numerical results for an uniformly distributed space charge are also presented.