Detection of noncharged organic substances by new measurement method using a lipid membrane sensor

This paper reports a new measurement method to detect ppb levels of noncharged organic substances using lipid/polymer membrane sensors. Noncharged organic substances have large influences on the adsorption of positively-charged lipids to negatively-charged membranes. Organic solvents (trichloroethylene) and endocrine disrupting chemicals (di-2-ethylhexylphthalate) were detected by utilizing the sensor output, which is the change of membrane potential caused by interactions among the lipid membrane, noncharged organic substances, and lipids in solution. This new potentiometric method has a possibility of detection of a trace amount of noncharged toxic substances.