Abstract
Planar lipid membranes composed of egg phosphatidylcholine and 1, 2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine were suspended over arrays of 100, 75, and 30 μm diameter holes in a 3.7-mm-thick polyimide or 2-μm-thick Parylene film that was supported on a silicon frame. Membranes were allowed to thin in buffer and periodically examined in air with reflected light microscopy. Once the membranes approached the thickness of a bilayer, they were vapor coated with 80 nm of conformal Parylene. The Parylene coating essentially fixed the membranes indefinitely for further study via optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, white-light interferometry, and confocal microscopy. This paper demonstrated that lipid membranes suspended on microfabricated hole arrays lasted over six days in buffer and that thinning membranes go through a phase where the lipids form lamellar stacks of bilayers within the holes. A technique for encapsulating the suspended membranes in Parylene was demonstrated that enabled detailed measurements of membrane geometry and composition.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
