Construction and characterization of soft-supported lipid bilayer membranes for biosensors application

A model cell membrane can be ingeniously used to mimic biological processes with wide applications in the biomedical field. For instance, a model cell membrane can be used as a functionalized element integrated to a sensor for identification of specific proteins or other molecules in a biofluid. A special characteristic of the model membrane described in this work is the fluidic or surface mobility feature given by a thin film of grafted polymer that serves as a cushion layer to support lipid bilayers. Lipid bilayers were deposited on a polyethylene glycol (PEG) thin film over a polished glass substrate using the Langmuir-Blodgett technique. Topographical characterization of the bilayers was accomplished using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Results revealed that the grafted polymeric PEG cushion layer confers mobility to the model membrane.