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Updated: Aug 4, 2026

In Vitro Reconstitution of Self-Organizing Protein Patterns on Supported Lipid Bilayers
Published on: July 28, 2018
Flow-Assisted Self-Organization of Hybrid Membranes
Qingpu Wang1, Oliver Steinbock1
1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, 32306-4390, USA.
Abstract:
Microfluidic flows are a powerful tool to drive reactions far from equilibrium and, thus, induce chemical selforganization. Studies of membrane formation in microfluidic devices have been limited to non-redox and purely inorganic reactions. Here, the formation of hybrid membranes at the interface of AgNO3 and 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine solutions, which are steadily co-injected into a microfluidic device, is reported. The membrane thickening occurs in both directions and reveals oscillatory dynamics. The hybrid membrane mainly consists of hair-like Ag microstructures, Ag nanowires, and unbranched TMB-TMB2+ microfibers. Branched dendrite-like fibers form on the TMB side when the flow is stopped. These components were characterized with techniques including micro-Raman and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy as well as scanning electron microscopy. The effects of initial concentration ratios on the membrane thickening speed and its opaqueness were also studied.
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