Dear Experts
As I understand there're mainly three types of pulse-type in electroporation.
1. Exponential Decay.
2. Square Wave.
3. Time Constant.
I have seen the diagram of these pulse types but still couldn't comprehend if they work in different mechanisms?
How to decide which pulse type to use in the electroporation ?
Also, what does Capacitance (Farad) have to do with electroporation?
Exponential decay refers to the voltage profile that you get upon discharging a charged capacitor through a resistance : the voltage V decreases exponentially witht time t from the initial charging tension V0 with a time constant Tc such that V= V0exp-(1/Tc)*t ). Thus, the higher Tc, the longer it takes for the capacitor to be discharged. Tc is the product of the capacity of the capacitor in Farads and of the resistance in Ohms. Its units are seconds, or most frequently, ms. You can modulate it by playing with the external resistance of the device. However, dont forget that the actual time constant will be somewhat lower because the condctance of the sample in the electroiporation cuvette is not zero, which decreases the actual total resistance through which the capacitor is discharged.
Square wave discharge is available with some electroporators. There, the electronics of the device generates a discharge pattern of the capacitor that is a square, i.e. the voltage remains more or less constant through the discharge process. There, it is also possible to modulate both the intensity and duration of the pulse.
I am not sure what time constant means as a mode of electroporation. It may mean that the operator sets a defined value for the duration of the pulse, but again, this he can do by playing with the capacitor and the external resistance ofe the device.
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