Using Bicellar Mixtures To Form Supported and Suspended Lipid Bilayers on Silicon Chips

• Published in: Langmuir Vol. 22; no. 19; pp. 8163 - 8168
• Main Authors: Zeineldin, Reema, Last, Julie A, Slade, Andrea L, Ista, Linnea K, Bisong, Paul, O'Brien, Michael J, Brueck, S. R. J, Sasaki, Darryl Y, Lopez, Gabriel P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Chemical Society 12.09.2006
• Subjects: Chemistry; Colloidal state and disperse state; Exact sciences and technology; General and physical chemistry; Lipid Bilayers; Membranes; Microscopy, Atomic Force; Microscopy, Confocal; Nanotechnology; Phosphatidylcholines - chemistry; Porosity; Porous materials; Silicon - chemistry; Surface Properties; Atomic force microscopy; Support; Lithography; Fluorescence; Lipids; Suspension; Bilayer; Flexibility; Porous material; Geometry; Substrate; Phosphatidylcholine; Membrane; Silicon; Alumina; Nanoporosity
• ISSN: 0743-7463; 1520-5827
• DOI: 10.1021/la060817r

Bicellar mixtures, planar lipid bilayer assemblies comprising long- and short-chain phosphatidylcholine lipids in suspension, were used to form supported lipid bilayers on flat silicon substrate and on nanotextured silicon substrates containing arrays of parallel troughs (170 nm wide, 380 nm deep, and 300 nm apart). Confocal fluorescence and atomic force microscopies were used to characterize the resulting lipid bilayer. Formation of a continuous biphasic undulating lipid bilayer membrane, where the crests and troughs corresponded to supported and suspended lipid bilayer regions, is demonstrated. The use of interferometric lithography to fabricate nanotexured substrates provides an advantage over other nanotextured substrates such as nanoporous alumina by offering flexibility in designing different geometries for suspending lipid bilayers.