Biomembrane-based organic electronic devices for ligand–receptor binding studies

We present a simple, rapid method for forming supported lipid bilayers on organic electronic devices composed of conducting polymer electrodes using a solvent-assisted lipid bilayer formation method. These supported bilayers present protein recognition elements that are mobile, critical for multivalent binding interactions. Because these polymers are transparent and conducting, we demonstrate, by optical and electrical detection, the specific interactions of proteins with these biomembrane-based bioelectronic devices. This work paves the way for easy formation of biomembrane mimetics for sensing and detection of binding events in a label-free manner on organic electronic devices of more sophisticated architectures.