Selective pH gradient formation across a capsule membrane corked with charged synthetic bilayers

Ultrathin, large nylon capsules whose porous membranes were corked with charged, synthetic bilayer-forming amphiphiles (cationic, anionic, zwitterionic bilayers) were prepared. The chemically stable, bilayer-corked capsules can selectively retain 0.1 M aqueous acidic (HCl, HNO₃, H₂SO₄, HClO₄ and p-toluenesulfonic acid) and alkaline solutions (NaOH, Ba(OH)₂, NH₄ OH, and N(Et)₄OH) in the inner aqueous phase depending on the surface charge of corking bilayers: the capsule corked with positively and negatively charged bilayers could selectively store alkalies and acids, respectively, and could keep a selective pH-gradient across the membrane. The zwitterionic bilayer-corking could retain neither acids nor alkalies in the inner aqueous phase. The permeation of these acids and alkalies to the outer phase (pH gradient decreasing across the capsule membrane) could be reversibly controlled by the phase transition of corking bilayers from gel to liquid crystalline state. The selective storage and permeation of acids and alkalies could be explained by the process of permeation of H⁺ or OH^- counter ions across the charged bilayer-corking.