Abstract
Droplet interface bilayers (DIBs) are versatile model membranes useful for synthetic biology and biosensing; however, to date they have always been confi ned to fluid reservoirs. Here, we demonstrate that when two or more water droplets collide on an oil-infused substrate, they exhibit non-coalescence due to the formation of a thin oil fi lm that gets squeezed between the droplets from the bottom-up. We show that when phospholipids are included in the water droplets, a stable droplet interface bilayer forms between the non-coalescing water droplets. As with traditional oil-submerged DIBs, we were able to characterize ion channel transport by incorporating peptides into each droplet. Our findings reveal that droplet interface bilayers can function in air environments, which could potentially enable biosensing of atmospheric particulates.
