Imaging biomolecules in bilayers supported at electrode surfaces

This short review describes our efforts to apply scanning tunneling microscopy and atomic force microscopy to provide an understanding of the mechanism of phospholipid bilayer formation at a gold electrode surface. We also show that these scanning probe microscopies provide unique information concerning the insertion and aggregation of antibiotic peptides and the mechanism of amyloid peptide aggregation at model biological membranes. We demonstrate that the electrochemical techniques such as electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and infrared reflection spectroscopy could be conveniently used in these systems to acquire complementary molecular level information concerning the membrane structure and properties of biomolecules embedded or adsorbed at the membrane surface. This information has strong relevance for the development of biosensors.