Evaporation-Induced Buckling and Fission of Microscale Droplet Interface Bilayers

Journal Article · Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2013 · Journal of the American Chemical Society

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/ja4019435· OSTI ID:1082101

Boreyko, Jonathan B ^[1]; Mruetusatorn, Prachya ^[1]; Sarles, Stephen A ^[1]; Retterer, Scott T ^[1]; Collier, Pat ^[1]

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1. ORNL

Droplet interface bilayers (DIBs) are a robust platform for studying synthetic cellular membranes; however, to date no DIBs have been produced at cellular length scales. Here, we create microscale droplet interface bilayers ( DIBs) at the interface between aqueous femtoliter-volume droplets within an oil-filled microfluidic channel. The uniquely large area-to-volume ratio of the droplets results in strong evaporation effects, causing the system to transition through three distinct regimes. First, the two adjacent droplets shrink into the shape of a single spherical droplet, where an augmented lipid bilayer partitions two hemi-spherical volumes. In the second regime, the combined effects of the shrinking monolayers and growing bilayer force the confined bilayer to buckle to conserve its mass. Finally, at a bending moment corresponding to a critical shear stress, the buckling bilayer fissions a vesicle to regulate its shape and stress. The DIBs produced here enable evaporation-induced bilayer dynamics reminiscent of endo- and exocytosis in cells.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC)
• DOE Contract Number: DE-AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 1082101
• Journal Information: Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol. 135, Issue 15; ISSN 0002--7863
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English