Effects of deformability, uneven surface charge distributions, and multipole moments on biocolloid electrophoretic migration.

Liposomes have been widely used as cellular and bioparticle mimics due to their lipid bilayer structure and relative ease of production and manipulation. Such biocolloids are frequently characterized by capillary electrophoresis (CE), which promises a wealth of information about such properties as surface charge, composition, and rigidity. The applicability of this information is somewhat limited, however, since it is interpreted with colloidal theories that do not account for the unique properties of biocolloids. In this work, the effects of deformability, mobile surface charges, intrinsic polarizability, and uneven surface charge distributions are incorporated into colloidal theories in order to better model the electrophoretic behaviors of liposomes.