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Biomimetic Triblock Copolymer Membrane Arrays: A Stable Template for Functional Membrane Proteins

2009; American Chemical Society; Volume: 25; Issue: 18 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1021/la902417m

1520-5827

Alfredo González‐Pérez, Karin B. Stibius, Thomas Vissing, Claus Hélix‐Nielsen, Ole G. Mouritsen,

Fuel Cells and Related Materials

It is demonstrated that biomimetic stable triblock copolymer membrane arrays can be prepared using a scaffold containing 64 apertures of 300 microm diameter each. The membranes were made from a stock solution of block copolymers with decane as a solvent using a new deposition method. By using decane, we avoid low molecular weight solvents such as chloroform and toluene, which are strong protein denaturants. The membranes show a low ionic conductance and a long lifetime at room temperature. Contrast phase microscopy shows the presence of a polymer region delimited by a Plateau-Gibbs border similar to what is observed in black lipid membranes. The ion-channel gramicidin A was successfully incorporated into the membrane in a functional form.