Electron transfer between ferrocene-modified Au/octadecanethiol/lipid BLM electrode and redox couples in solution

Bilayers incorporated with ferrocene consisting of self-assembled octadecanethiol and lipid monolayer on gold substrates were fabricated. Its electrochemical behaviors in solutions containing different redox couples were investigated by cyclic voltammetry and ac impedance. The transmembrane electron transfer reaction across octadecanethiol self-assembled film and an adsorbed phospholipid layer mediated by ferrocene have been observed in the solution of Fe(CN)₆^3−/4−. The formal potential difference between mediator in bilayer lipid membrane (BLM) and redox couple in solution has a great impact on the transmembrane electron transfer behavior. The ferrocene-modified BLM electrodes might be useful for constructing a bilayer-based electrochemical current rectifying device.