Electrochemical and PM-IRRAS Studies of the Effect of Cholesterol on the Structure of a DMPC Bilayer supported at an Au(111) Electrode Surface, Part 1: Properties of the Acyl Chains

Charge density measurements and polarization modulation infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy were employed to investigate the spreading of small unilamellar vesicles of a dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC)/cholesterol (7:3 molar ratio) mixture onto an Au (111) electrode surface. The electrochemical experiments demonstrated that vesicles fuse and spread onto the Au (111) electrode surface, forming a bilayer, at rational potentials -0.4 V <(E - Epzc) <0.4 V or field strength