Abstract
Existing models of membrane instability and breakdown under an applied voltage are critically examined. An alternative, speculative treatment of the electroelastic model is suggested, based on the assumption that spatial dispersion of the elastic moduli leads to their effective softening at short wave lengths. The model parameters describing this effect chosen to satisfy the condition that softening of the 'peristaltic' mode due to an applied voltage of 1 to 1.5 V leads to instability and breakdown. With these parameters we calculate the stretching diagram of the membrane and show that it agrees with existing measurements.