Microstructured planar electrodes were prepared using the lift-off technique in combination with titanium sputtering at 700 W on an oxidized silicon substrate. Supported phospholipid bilayers were formed by first depositing a single monolayer of a lipid/cholesterol/lipopolymer mixture onto the planar microelectrode via the Langmuir-Blodgett technique, followed by the deposition of a second mixed monolayer of lipid and cholesterol by the Schafer-Kuhn technique. Impedance spectroscopy was used to investigate the electrical properties of the bilayers and capacitance values of 2.5-4 mu F/cm(2) were obtained.