Physical properties of Onsager's dipole chain model for ionic transport across membranes. I. Steady-state fluxes and instabilities.

The steady-state fluxes in Onsager's model for ionic transport along a dipole chain are derived by application of Hill's diagrammatic technique for unimolecular systems. It is shown that under specific conditions the chain exhibits thermodynamic instabilities which prove to be a possible explanation for the phenomenon of electrical excitation in biological membranes.