ABSTRACT
Optimal bilayers are artificial membranes that have negligible leak, high capacitance and stable electrical properties. The formation of lipid bilayer by the painting method, i.e. dispersing of a surface active lipid in a non-polar solvent, was first described by P. Mueller et al. It was used to identify the nature of ion transport pathways such as carriers or ion channels. The specific bilayer capacitance which reflects thermodynamic forces controlling the thinning of the lipid into a membrane, is used to determine the formation of optimal bilayers. The lipid in the solvent forms large aggregates organized to shield the polar regions of the lipid from the nonpolar solvent. Lipid thinning can be monitored optically through a microscope and/or by capacitance measurement.
