Novel technologies for the formation of 2-D and 3-D droplet interface bilayer networks

Abstract

Droplet interface bilayer (DIB) networks have vast potential in the field of membrane biophysics, synthetic biology, and functional bio-electronics. However a technological bottleneck exists in network fabrication: existing methods are limited in terms of their automation, throughput, versatility, and ability to form well-defined 3-D networks. We have developed a series of novel and low-cost methodologies which address these limitations. The first involves building DIB networks around the contours of a microfluidic chip. The second uses flow rate and droplet size control to influence droplet packing geometries within a microfluidic chamber. The latter method enables the controlled formation of various 3-D network arrays consisting of thousands of interconnected symmetric and asymmetric lipid bilayers for the first time. Both approaches allow individual droplet position and composition to be controlled, paving the way for complex on-chip functional network synthesis.