Recognition of Various Chemical Species by Artificial

Membranes as an Application of Self-Excitable Phenomenon

Abstract

In living organisms, recognition of molecules, such as by taste, smell or immunity, is essential for the maintenance of life. It is well known that the excitability of the bio-membranes is quite important to recognize various chemicals. The development of excitable artificial membranes is thus important to understand the mechanism of molecular recognition in biological systems. In this article, the history of studies of artificial membranes excitable by electrical current, voltage, hydrostatic or osmotic pressure, and chemical substances are reviewed. Among these studies, the work by the author and his collaborators shows that excitable phenomenon is applicable to the recognition of various chemical species. The development of a new type of chemical sensor capable of distinguishing chemical substances on the basis of information on the frequency, amplitude and the shapes of electrical pulses is suggested to be promising.