Alternating electric field capacitively coupled micro-electroporation

Abstract

Electroporation of biological solutions is typically performed using galvanically coupled electrodes and the administration of high-voltage, direct current (DC) pulses. Galvanic (DC) coupling enables the flow of Faradaic currents, which produce effects of an electrolytic nature. Electrolytic processes can be deleterious to electroporation by causing arcing with high radiative temperature and high-pressure waves, releasing potentially toxic compounds from the electrodes, and introducing by-products of electrolysis into the solution. Our research in micro-electroporation shows that the detrimental effects of electrolysis become more pronounced as the length-scale of the electroporation chamber decreases, i.e. micro-electroporation. A possible solution would be to eliminate galvanic coupling between the electrodes and the electroporation media by coating the electroporation electrodes with a thin layer of dielectric material and using high-frequency AC stimulation for electroporation. In this work, we present a theoretical analysis of a micro-electroporation system in which capacitively coupled electrodes are separated from the electroporated solution by a dielectric. The purpose of this work is to serve as a theoretical basis for further experimental exploration, as well as a design tool for performance optimization. We present a mathematical model supported by in silico experimental results.