Bilayer lipid membrane (BLM) based ion selective electrodes at the meso-, micro-, and nano-scales

This paper presents a novel method for making micron-sized apertures with tapered sidewalls and nano-sized apertures. Their use in bilayer lipid membrane-based ion selective electrode design is demonstrated and compared to mesoscale bilayers and traditional PVC ion selective electrodes. Micron-sized apertures are fabricated in SU-8 photoresist films and vary in diameter from 10 to 40 μm. The tapered edges in SU-8 films are desired to enhance bilayer lipid membrane (BLM) formation and are fabricated by UV-light overexposure. Nano-apertures are made in boron diffused silicon film. The membranes are used as septa to separate two potassium chloride solutions of different concentrations. Lecithin BLMs are assembled on the apertures by ejecting lipid solution. Potassium ionophore, dibenzo-18-crown-6, is incorporated into BLMs by dissolving it in the lipid solution before membrane assembly. Voltage changes with increasing potassium ion concentrations are recorded with an A/D converter. Various ionophore concentrations in BLMs are investigated. At least a 1% concentration is needed for consistent slopes. Electrode response curves are linear over the 10−6 to 0.1 M range with a sub-Nernstian slope of 20 mV per Log concentration change. This system shows high selectivity to potassium ions over potential interfering sodium ions. BLMs on the three different aperture sizes at the meso-, micro-, and nano-scales all show similar linear ranges and limits of detection (LODs) as PVC ion selective membranes.