Lipid membranes supported by polydimethylsiloxane substrates with designed geometry

The membrane curvature of cells and intracellular compartments continuously adapts to enable cells to perform vital functions, from cell division to signal trafficking. Understanding how membrane geometry affects these processes in vivo is challenging because of the biochemical and geometrical complexity as well as the short time and small length scales involved in cellular processes. By contrast, in vitro model membranes with engineered curvature would provide a versatile platform for this investigation and applications to biosensing and biocomputing. Here, we present a strategy that allows fabrication of lipid membranes with designed shape by combining 3D micro-printing and replica-molding lithography with polydimethylsiloxane to create curved micrometer-sized scaffolds with virtually any geometry. The resulting supported lipid membranes are homogeneous and fluid. We demonstrate the versatility of the system by fabricating structures of interesting combinations of mean and Gaussian curvature. We study the lateral phase separation and how local curvature influences the effective diffusion coefficient. Overall, we offer a bio-compatible platform for understanding curvature-dependent cellular processes and developing programmable bio-interfaces for living cells and nanostructures. We present a strategy for obtaining membranes on substrates with tunable geometry and stiffness for biological and material science studies.