Abstract
We make the case that the unstirred layers of classical physiology arise from the influence of surfaces on the structure, and therefore the properties, of contiguous water. Traditionally, unstirred layers have been thought to arise merely out of stagnant volumes adjacent to membranes and other surfaces. These volumes would have to extend tens to hundreds of micrometers in order to account for the observed effects. On the other hand, charged and hydrophilic surfaces have been shown to impact water out to surprising distances, on the order of hundreds of micrometers. We present evidence that it is this water-structuring effect that is responsible for the unstirred layer.
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Pollack, G.H., Clegg, J. (2008). Unexpected Linkage Between Unstirred Layers, Exclusion Zones, and Water. In: Pollack, G.H., Chin, WC. (eds) Phase Transitions in Cell Biology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8651-9_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8651-9_9
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-8650-2
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