Effect of an Electric Field on a Floating Bilayer: A Neutron Reflectivity Study

We present here a neutron reflectivity study of the influence of an alternative electric field on a supported phospholipid double bilayer.We report for the first time a reproducible increase of the fluctuation amplitude leading to the complete unbinding of the floating bilayer. Results are in good agreement with a semi-quantitative interpretation in terms of negative electrostatic surface tension.