Abstract

We report herein measurements on a novel type of supported lipid films, which we call painted supported membranes (PSM). These membranes are formed in a self-assembly process on alkylated gold films from an organic solution. The formation process was investigated with surface plasmon resonance microscopy. The optical and electrical properties of the films were determined for various types of lipids and as a function of temperature by means of cyclic voltammetry and potential relaxation after charge injection. We could show that these films exhibit an extraordinarily high specific resistivity which, depending on the lipid, may be as high as 10(9) ohm/cm(2). We could also show that due to this low conductivity, an electrical polarization across the PSM relaxes with characteristic time constants of up to 20 min. The electrical properties together with their high mechanical stability and accessibility to surface sensitive techniques make these films well suitable model membranes for optical and electrical investigations. Examples for such applications are given in the subsequent article by Seifert et al.

Full Text
Paper version not known

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.