Electronic polymers in lipid membranes
Journal article, 2015
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.
Author
P.K. Johansson
Linköping University
University of Washington
David Jullesson
Chalmers, Biology and Biological Engineering, Systems and Synthetic Biology
A. Elfwing
Linköping University
S.I. Liin
Linköping University
C. Musumeci
Linköping University
E. Zeglio
Linköping University
F. Elinder
University of Washington
N. Solin
Linköping University
Olle Inganaes
Linköping University
Scientific Reports
2045-2322 (ISSN) 20452322 (eISSN)
Vol. 5 11242Subject Categories
Biophysics
DOI
10.1038/srep11242