Model Biological Membranes and Possibilities of Application of Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy for their Characterization
Abstract
Biological membranes are essential parts of living systems. They represent an interface between intracellular and extracellular space.
Depending on their structure, they often perform very complex functions and play an important role in the transport of both charged and uncharged particles in any organism. Structure of the biological membranes, which play very important role in electrochemical processes inside living organisms, is very complicated and still not precisely defined and explained.
Model lipid membranes are used to gain detail information about properties of real biological membranes and about associated electrochemical processes. Electrochemistry, especially electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), can play a useful role in the characterization of properties of model lipid membranes (planar and supported lipid bilayers, tethered lipid membranes, liposomes, etc.).
This review is focused on model biological membranes and the possibilities and limitations of electrochemical methods and namely of EIS in this field.