Reconstitution of nanopores in bilayers of diblock and triblock copolymers

Abstract

This study investigated the properties of bilayer polymer membranes (BPMs) formed from four amphiphilic block copolymers, PBD11, PBD22, PDMS22, and PDMS35, and their interactions with nanopores. Using the droplet contact method in microdevices, we systematically evaluated key membrane characteristics, including stability, hydrophobic thickness, bilayer tension, and adhesive energy. The results revealed that PBD-series polymers exhibited superior stability under time and voltage stress compared to PDMS-series polymers. Importantly, correlation analysis identified a strong relationship between the adhesive energy ratio (ΔF/2γ_m) and membrane stability, indicating ΔF/2γ_m as a promising predictive parameter for membrane properties. Based on these findings, the reconstitution of α-hemolysin (αHL) nanopores was achieved with PBD11 and PDMS35, underscoring the critical role of matching membrane hydrophobic thickness to nanopore dimensions. The, PBD11 demonstrated reduced electrical noise and was compatible with the artificial nanopore SVG28. In addition, a synthetic nanopore, SVG28, was also reconstituted in PBD11 membranes. These findings offer valuable insights into optimizing BPM properties for nanopore sensing, paving the way for future innovations in synthetic nanopore technology.