Electroformation of giant liposomes from spin-coated films of lipids

• Published in: Colloids and surfaces, B, Biointerfaces B, Biointerfaces, 2005-05, Vol.42 (2), p.115-123
• Main Authors: Estes, Daniel J., Mayer, Michael
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biotechnology - methods; Electrochemistry; Electroformation; Giant liposome; Lipid Bilayers - chemistry; Lipid film; Lipids - chemistry; Liposomes - chemistry; Microscopy, Atomic Force; Microscopy, Phase-Contrast; Phosphatidylcholines; Phosphatidylglycerols - chemistry; Phosphatidylserines - chemistry; Phospholipids - chemistry; Spin-coating; Surface Properties; Tin Compounds - chemistry; Vesicles
• ISSN: 0927-7765; 1873-4367
• DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2005.01.016

This paper describes spin-coating of solutions of lipids and using the resulting thin films for electroformation of giant liposomes. Spin-coating made it possible to generate uniform films of lipids with controllable thickness over large surfaces (>25 cm 2) of indium tin oxide. Establishing a range of thicknesses optimal for electroformation (25–50 nm), we demonstrate formation of giant liposomes from lipids (such as asolectin, phosphatidylserine, and phosphatidylglycerol) that do not readily form giant liposomes from traditional, droplet-derived films. We compared liposomes from a spin-coated film of lipids to liposomes formed from traditional droplet-derived films and found that spin-coated films produced larger (by factor of 2–5) and more abundant liposomes than droplet-derived films of lipids. Electroformation from spin-coated, homogenous lipid films of optimal thickness provided a reproducible way to obtain liposomes with diameters that are predominantly larger than 30 μm over the entire surface of formation.