Production of microporous aluminum oxide electrodes as supports for tethered lipid bilayers of large surface area

Orthogonal functionalization of nanoporous substrates: control of 3D surface functionality

Anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membranes with aligned, cylindrical, nonintersecting pores were selectively functionalized in order to create dual-functionality substrates with different pore-rim and pore-interior surface functionalities, using silane chemistry. We used a two-step process involving an evaporated thin gold film to protect the underlying surface functionality of the pore rims. Subsequent treatment with oxygen plasma of the modified AAO membrane removed the unprotected organic functional groups, i.e., the pore-interior surface. After gold removal, the substrate became optically transparent, and displayed two distinct surface functionalities, one at the pore-rim surface and another at the pore-interior surface. We achieved a selective hydrophobic functionalization with dodecyl-trichlorosilane of either the pore rims or the pore interiors. The deposition of planar lipid membranes on the functionalized areas by addition of small unilamellar vesicles occurred in a predetermined fashion. Small unilamellar vesicles only ruptured upon contact with the hydrophobic substrate regions forming solid supported hybrid bilayers. In addition, pore-rim functionalization with dodecyl-trichlorosilane allowed the formation of pore-spanning hybrid lipid membranes as a result of giant unilamellar vesicle rupture. Confocal laser scanning microscopy was employed to identify the selective spatial localization of the adsorbed fluorescently labeled lipids. The corresponding increase in the AAO refractive index due to lipid adsorption on the hydrophobic regions was monitored by optical waveguide spectroscopy. This simple orthogonal functionalization route is a promising method to control the three-dimensional surface functionality of nanoporous films.

Microfluidic anodization of aluminum films for the fabrication of nanoporous lipid bilayer support structures

Solid state nanoporous membranes show great potential as support structures for biointerfaces. In this paper, we present a technique for fabricating nanoporous alumina membranes under constant-flow conditions in a microfluidic environment. This approach allows the direct integration of the fabrication process into a microfluidic setup for performing biological experiments without the need to transfer the brittle nanoporous material. We demonstrate this technique by using the same microfluidic system for membrane fabrication and subsequent liposome fusion onto the nanoporous support structure. The resulting bilayer formation is monitored by impedance spectroscopy across the nanoporous alumina membrane in real-time. Our approach offers a simple and efficient methodology to investigate the activity of transmembrane proteins or ion diffusion across membrane bilayers.

Polarization-dependent fluorescence of proteins bound to nanopore-confined lipid bilayers

Lipid bilayers are essential structural component of biological membranes of all the living species: from viruses and bacteria to plants and humans. Biophysical and biochemical properties of such membranes are important for understanding physical mechanisms responsible for drug targeting. Binding events between proteins and the membrane may be ascertained by introducing fluorescence markers (chromophores) to the proteins. Here we describe a novel biosensing platform designed to enhance signals of these fluorescence markers. Nanoporous aluminum oxide membranes with and without gold (Au) surface coating have been employed for optical detection of bound conjugated streptavidin to biotinylated lipid bilayers-a model system that mimics protein docking to the membrane surface. Unexpectedly, it was found that fluorescence signals from such structures vary when pumped with E-polarized and H-polarized incident optical beams. The origin of the observed polarization-dependent effects and the implications for enhanced fluorescence detection in a biochip format are being discussed.