Abstract
Oil/Water interface was formed across a micropore constructed by semiconductor technology. By using the micropore, remarkably stable potential oscillations of a lipid membrane were obtained. The oscillation amplitude and the oscillation period can be controlled by changing the pore diameter. This “size effect” is strongly effective to clarify the mechanism of oscillation phenomena in the biomimetic membrane system. In order to clarify the mechanism, the dynamic behavior of a lipid across a micropore during the self-excited potential oscillation phenomenon was observed by an optical microscope. As a result we have found that the potential change during self-excited oscillation was quite synchronous with the expansion and shrinkage of the domelike lipid aggregate formed in the water phase. The oscillation was also controlled by applying the hydrostatic pressure to the pore. In this paper, we will show this “hydrostatic pressure effect” was qualitatively consis-tent with the “size effect” because the suface area of the oil/water interface deforms by changing the hydrostatic pressure. We will also show the detail description of the self-excited potential oscillation of lipid which can be controlled by the size of dome formed across the micropore.
