Many molecules spontaneously incorporate within biological membranes and alter their properties for a wide range of applications including antimicrobial activity, drugs, signaling, and bioelectrochemistry. Despite the numerous applications, the interactions of these additives within phospholipid membranes are often poorly understood due to the complicated and variable properties of phospholipid membranes and challenges associated with characterizing them. Here, we examine the interactions of conjugated oligo-electrolytes (COEs) within phospholipid membranes. COEs readily incorporate bacterial and eukaryotic membranes, where they facilitate charge transport; this has been to enhance the performance of numerous bioelectrochemical devices, including microbial fuel cells and bioelectrochemical synthesis. Electrochemical techniques (e.g., cyclic voltammetry) were used to understand how the activity of COEs is modulated by phospholipid membrane properties in model bilayer systems while nanoparticle attachment was used to probe COE behavior in <i>Shewanella oneidensis</i>. It is shown that the COEs alter the properties of the surface of S. oneidensis in a concentration dependant manner and that furthermore the activity of COEs in phospholipid membranes can be modulated by addition of additives like cholesterol, choline and cholic acid.

Understanding the interactions of conjugated oligoelectrolytes in phospholipid membranes for enhanced cross membrane charge transfer

251st National Meeting (2016)

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