Abstract
Lipid bilayer membranes are among the most ubiquitous structures in the living world, with intricate structural features and a multitude of biological functions. It is attractive to recreate these structures in the laboratory, as this allows mimicking and studying the properties of biomembranes and their constituents, and to specifically exploit the intrinsic two-dimensional fluidity. Even though diverse strategies for membrane fabrication have been reported, the development of related applications and technologies has been hindered by the unavailability of both versatile and simple methods. Here we report a rapid prototyping technology for two-dimensional fluidic devices, based on in-situ generated circuits of phospholipid films. In this “lab on a molecularly thin membrane”, various chemical and physical operations, such as writing, erasing, functionalization, and molecular transport, can be applied to user-defined regions of a membrane circuit. This concept is an enabling technology for research on molecular membranes and their technological use.
Highlights
Lipid bilayer membranes are among the most ubiquitous structures in the living world, with intricate structural features and a multitude of biological functions
The hydrodynamically confined flow (HCF) is clearly visible due to the higher refractive index of the triton solution. (k) Confocal micrograph depicting re-writing of the erased lower lane section with a POPC488 bridge, closing the gap. (l) POPC-655 diffusion into the bridge confirms that a cohesive film is restored
We demonstrate non-spreading deposition by using SUVs composed of 1Palmitoyl-2-oleoylphosphatidylcholine (POPC) in Fig. 2b–c, and supplementary figure S4
Summary
Lipid bilayer membranes are among the most ubiquitous structures in the living world, with intricate structural features and a multitude of biological functions. We report a rapid prototyping technology for two-dimensional fluidic devices, based on in-situ generated circuits of phospholipid films In this ‘‘lab on a molecularly thin membrane’’, various chemical and physical operations, such as writing, erasing, functionalization, and molecular transport, can be applied to user-defined regions of a membrane circuit. We introduce a microfluidic toolbox to write 2D nanofluidic networks composed of supported phospholipid membranes, and dynamically modify their connectivity, composition, and local function We demonstrate how such networks are conveniently generated and locally restructured, and show how various design possibilities such as diffusional barriers and hydrodynamic trapping points can be used in a ‘‘lab on a biomembrane’’ to directly address biomembrane functions and properties, or to perform membrane-assisted studies of molecular interactions. Microfluidic devices that operate in the ‘‘open space’’, i.e., outside the confinement imposed by channels and chambers, provide unique opportunities for interacting with biological samples
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