Bilayer‐Immobilized Films Containing Mesogenic Azobenzene Amphiphiles—Electrically Controllable Permeability

A model system for the study of transport phenomena in membranes consists of bilayer films of the cations 1 or 2 and polystyrenesulfonate anions. These bilayer films are immobilized, in turn, on a polyester grid. Application of an electric field increases the permeability of these artificial membranes with respect to a water‐soluble, neutral dye molecule. Surprisingly, however, only a field parallel to the membrane is effective in the case of 1 and only a field perpendicular to the membrane in that of 2. equation image