以介電濕潤晶片操控包覆式微液滴建構脂質雙層膜成膜系統

Abstract

本論文介紹以微液滴為主體的脂質雙層膜成膜系統之研究，相較於現有的微流道成膜平台，利用數位微流體的成膜平台有著更多的優勢，尤其是陣列脂膜(array-BLM)中各個脂膜環境溶液的獨立，更是微流道平台所做不到的。 共平面介電濕潤晶片(coplanar EWOD chip)可用來操控實驗中的電解液(DI water and 100 mM KCl)，而包覆式微液滴(decane-capsulated electrolyte droplet)的設計可用來解決介電濕潤效應無法操控正癸烷溶液的問題，藉由正癸烷溶液會自行包覆在電解液微液滴外圍的特性，當微液滴受到介電濕潤效應影響而被驅動的同時，將會帶動外圍的溶液一起移動。 在三層結構的成膜晶片分別置入兩個包覆式微液滴，將下板的微液滴固定於矽晶片洞口的下方，藉由上板的共平面介電濕潤晶片操控另一微液滴。將成膜晶片搭配著晶片夾具、硬體電路盤的控制和軟體撰寫的人機介面，可隨時調整電壓大小的施加(約1 kHz, 110 Vrms)和電極控制的順序，操控包覆式微液滴(2 μL 0.1 M KCl and 0.15 μL decane)在最適當的狀況下，在矽晶片製作的微米孔洞(150 x 150 μm2)中形成脂質雙層膜(suspended bilayer lipid membrane)。 透過倒立式顯微鏡(Olympus IX71)的明視野(bright field)觀察和相位差(phase contrast)觀察，可以清楚的觀察到成膜後的脂質雙層膜區域和Plateau-Gibbs border 所造成的邊界(boundary)。

Droplet-based bilayer lipid membrane (BLM) formation system is demonstrated in this thesis. Compared with the membrane formation system by analog microfluidics (pumping fluids in microchannels) and forming BLM by digital microfluidics is more advantageous, especially when BLM arrays with independent liquid environment are necessary. Pumping water and electrolyte (100 mM KCl) is successfully demonstrated by coplanar electroweting-on-dielectric (EWOD). The capsulated droplet technique transports the decane-capsulated electrolyte droplets which are formed spontaneously when merging the decane and electrolyte droplets. By manipulating two capsulated droplets (2 μL 100 mM KCl with 0.15 μL decane capsulated) above and beneath a microaperture across a double-side polished silicon wafer by coplanar EWOD controlled by a LabVIEW programe, suspended BLMs are successfully formed in the 150 μm x 150 μm silicon aperture. The forming process of suspended BLM is observed with the bright field and phase contrast method by an inversion microscope (Olympus IX71). The thinning process of BLMs and the Plateau-Gibbs border are clearly observed, indicating that BLMs are formed in the EWOD-actuated BLM formation system.