Our new paper on encapsulated droplet bilayer systems is now out in Angewandte Chemie. Read the paper here. Congratulations to Divesh for all is hard work.
In this work we report the ability to make artificial lipid bilayers compatible with a wide range of environments, and with sufficient structural rigidity for manual handling. This will open up a wealth of opportunities for the more routine use of membrane based materials in real-world applications.
Whilst droplet interface bilayers (DIBs) have already been demonstrated in a host of laboratory applications, from chemical logic to biosynthesis reaction vessels, their wider use is hampered by a lack of mechanical stability. Multiphase microfluidics has enabled us to construct droplet networks within a semi-permeable shell, with each internal droplet separated from outside world by a lipid bilayer through which it is able to communicate with the surrounding environment, much like biological cells.
These materials are stable in air, water, and oil environments and overcome a critical obstacle of achieving structural rigidity without compromising environmental interaction. We believe this will help pave the way for practical application of artificial membranes or droplet networks in diverse areas such as medical applications, drug testing, biophysical studies and their use as synthetic cells.
Castell Lab 