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Internet Electronic Journal of Molecular Design - IEJMD, ISSN 1538-6414, CODEN IEJMAT
| ABSTRACT - Internet Electron. J. Mol. Des. March 2005, Volume 4, Number 3, 221-225 |
Electrical Properties of Lipid Membrane - Role of Bathing Solution Under
Forward and Reverse Biased Conditions
Dipankar Ghosh, Smarajit Manna, Sharmila De, Ruma Basu, Sukhen Das, and Papiya Nandy
Internet Electron. J. Mol. Des. 2005, 4, 221-225
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Abstract:
The nonlinearity in the I-V characteristics of lipid bilayer
membrane in symmetric bathing solution has been explained
earlier as due to the semiconducting nature of lipid molecules
and mechanism of charge conduction in inhomogeneous system.
It is of interest to know the exact conduction mechanism of lipid
membranes under forward and reverse biased conditions when
the bathing solution is symmetric or asymmetric. The membrane
system was constructed by filling the smooth circular pores
(porosity G-4) of an otherwise very tightly packed polycarbonate
film with a solution of oxidized cholesterol in n-decane. Planar
lipid membrane (PLM) was formed when bathing solution was
added on both sides. For symmetric bathing solution, acridine
orange (an electron donor) was added on both sides and for
asymmetric condition acridine orange was replaced by iodine (an
electron acceptor) on one side. The I-V characteristics curves of
lipid membranes were studied under forward and reverse biased
conditions. We have observed a diode like behavior when the
bathing solution is asymmetric, whereas we report here
symmetry in I-V characteristics when the bathing solution is
symmetric.
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