Rotational chambers on fluidic channels for the repetitive formation of optically observable lipid-bilayer membranes

We develop a device adapted for repetitive formation of horizontal lipid bilayer membranes. This device allows simultaneous optical and electrophysiological measurements of the formed membranes. We integrated a rotational chamber on a fluidic channel separated by a parylene micropore. The rotational motion is designed to form a bilayer repeatedly. This rotational process emulates the conventional painting method, in which a thick lipid-oil layer at a micropore was made thinner by hand work to obtain a bilayer. The bilayer formation with our device was examined optically and electrically. The simultaneous measurement device will be useful for better understanding of bilayer features and membrane protein incorporation.