Bilayer-gel membranes. Formation and some properties.

We developed a new procedure which induces multifunctional reagents to crosslink at one interface between a black bilayer and the adjacent water phase. This procedure yields "bilayer-gel" membranes, i.e. membranes consisting of a bilayer and a polymer layer. The bilayer-gel membrane may tentatively be considered to be a new membrane system, because the formation of the polymer layer changes some bilayer properties. We studied bilayer-gel membranes composed of a bilayer of oxidized cholesterol and of a polymer layer of poly-L-lysine crosslinked by glutardialdehyde. Compared to unmodified bilayers, this membrane system has an electrical conductance of the same magnitude, the same electrical capacity and similar shapes of current-voltage dependences. However, this system is asymmetrical and differs in ion selectivity and increased stability from an unmodified bilayer.