A lipid bilayer, which is formed by a self-assembly process of lipid molecules, is a basic structural component of a cell membrane. A lipid bilayer can be adsorbed on a solid surface at a single bilayer level. An adsorbed lipid bilayer is called a supported lipid bilayer (SLB). An SLB maintains the fluidity of the cell membrane, which is known as lateral diffusion, and this will be of great interest to surface scientists. This review focuses on the progress of recent research on SLBs achieved by employing surface science techniques, and also describes the basic techniques for preparing and characterizing SLBs. Specifically, this work addresses the effect of a solid surface on the physical properties of an SLB, SLB pattern formation using the photo-induced polymerization of acetylene embedded within an SLB, the control of self-spreading behavior using structured surfaces, and the dynamics of single molecules moving within an SLB.
