Production of microporous aluminum oxide electrodes as supports for tethered lipid bilayers of large surface area

A composite electrode made by association of gold and porous aluminum oxide has been used as template for a supported lipid bilayer. An oxide pore size of 170 nm was chosen so that lipid vesicles or proteoliposomes can enter in the pore and cover the pore wall. Triggered vesicle fusion produced a stable and continuous lipid bilayer supported on the large surface area of the honeycomb structure. Continuity of the supported bilayer was attested by electrochemical measurement of the lateral mobility of ubiquinone, a water-insoluble electroactive marker, dissolved at low concentration in the hydrophobic leaflet of the bilayer.