Electronic polymers in lipid membranes
نویسندگان
چکیده
Electrical interfaces between biological cells and man-made electrical devices exist in many forms, but it remains a challenge to bridge the different mechanical and chemical environments of electronic conductors (metals, semiconductors) and biosystems. Here we demonstrate soft electrical interfaces, by integrating the metallic polymer PEDOT-S into lipid membranes. By preparing complexes between alkyl-ammonium salts and PEDOT-S we were able to integrate PEDOT-S into both liposomes and in lipid bilayers on solid surfaces. This is a step towards efficient electronic conduction within lipid membranes. We also demonstrate that the PEDOT-S@alkyl-ammonium:lipid hybrid structures created in this work affect ion channels in the membrane of Xenopus oocytes, which shows the possibility to access and control cell membrane structures with conductive polyelectrolytes.
منابع مشابه
Electronic Properties of Natural and Modeled Bilayer Membranes
Natural membranes are characterized by high selectivity, specificity, and control processes whose mechanisms of operation can be reduced to molecular levels. Many of these processes involve self-assembly of macromolecules such as lipids, proteins, and DNA. In 1941 Szent-Gyorgyi suggested that proteins and other materials may possess some of the solid-state electronic properties known to occur i...
متن کاملAlkaline Stability of Novel Aminated Polyphenylene-Based Polymers in Bipolar Membranes
This research investigated stability of two novel aminated polyphenylene polymers as anion exchange layers in bipolar membranes. Bipolar membrane stability was tested under operating conditions of 50 mA/cm2, and under conditions of soaking in room temperature 1 M NaOH. The stability of the custom made bipolar membranes was compared with those for two commercial membranes. For the polyphenylene-...
متن کاملLipid membranes with grafted polymers: physicochemical aspects.
Membranes grafted with water-soluble polymers resist protein adsorption and adhesion to cellular surfaces. Liposomes with surface-grafted polymers therefore find applications in drug delivery. The physicochemical properties of polymer-grafted lipid membranes are reviewed with mean-field and scaling theories from polymer physics. Topics covered are: mushroom-brush transitions, membrane expansion...
متن کاملEffects of Biodegradable Polymers on the Rat's Damaged Spinal Cord Neural Membranes
The overall goal of this study was to identify the appropriate biomaterials able to facilitate the regeneration in rat's injured adult spinal cord. Acute damage to axons is manifested as a breach in their membranes, ionexchange distortion across the compromised region, local depolarization and even conduction block. It would be of particular importance to interrupt the progress of events h...
متن کامل