Microfluidic Chips for Preparation and Collection of Giant Vesicles

A microfluidic chip with preparation module and collection module for giant vesicles by microfluidic technology and microelectrode array was fabricated. First, lipid solution was loaded into the microelectrode array through microchannels to form lipid film, then an electric field was subsequently loaded on the microelectrode array, and giant vesicles with controlled diameter were formed efficiently. The ratio of formed stable giant spherical vesicles could reach up to 60%. Giant vesicles and other materials were flushed into the upper layer of the collection chamber by microchannel. 90% of the stable giant spherical vesicles with 10–50 mm diameter could be sorted in the upper layer of the collection chamber by using micropore filter and gravity depositing. This microfluidic chip could overcome some defects existing in the current preparation method such as low efficiency, wide distribution of diameters, as well as difficult for screening and collection.

In this study, a microfluidic chip with the preparation module and collection module was designed and fabricated. The microfluidic technique and microelectrode array were used for the preparation and collection of giant vesicles. The stable giant spherical vesicles were efficiently formed, sorted and collected in this chip.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide