Single ion-channel recordings using glass nanopore membranes

Protein ion-channel recordings using a glass nanopore (GNP) membrane as the support structure for lipid bilayer membranes are presented. The GNP membrane is composed of a single conical-shaped nanopore embedded in a approximately 50 microm-thick glass membrane chemically modified with a 3-cyanopropyldimethylchlorosilane monolayer to produce a surface of intermediate hydrophobicity. This surface modification results in lipid monolayer formation on the glass surface and a lipid bilayer suspended across the small orifice (100-400 nm-radius) of the GNP membrane, while allowing aqueous solutions to fully wet the glass nanopore. The GNP membrane/bilayer structures, which exhibit ohmic seal resistances of approximately 70 GOmega and electrical breakdown voltages of approximately 0.8 V, are exceptionally stable to mechanical disturbances and have lifetimes of at least 2 weeks. These favorable characteristics result from the very small area of bilayer (10(-10)-10(-8) cm(2)) that is suspended across the GNP membrane orifice. Fluorescence microscopy and vibrational sum frequency spectroscopy demonstrate that a lipid monolayer forms on the 3-cyanopropyl-dimethylchlorosilane modified glass surface with the lipid tails oriented toward the glass. The GNP membrane/bilayer structure is well suited for single ion-channel recordings. Reproducible insertion of the protein ion channel, wild-type alpha-hemolysin (WTalphaHL), and stochastic detection of a small molecule, heptakis(6-O-sulfo)-beta-cyclodextrin, are demonstrated. In addition, the insertion and removal of WTalphaHL channels are reproducibly controlled by applying small pressures (-100 to 350 mmHg) across the lipid bilayer. The electrical and mechanical stability of the bilayer, the ease of which bilayer formation is achieved, and the ability to control ion-channel insertion, coupled with the small bilayer capacitance of the GNP membrane-based system, provide a new and nearly optimal system for single ion-channel recordings.     

Single particle tracking reveals corralling of a transmembrane protein in a double-cushioned lipid bilayer assembly

A predominate question associated with supported bilayer assemblies containing proteins is whether or not the proteins remain active after incorporation. The major cause for concern is that strong interactions with solid supports can render the protein inactive. To address this question, a large transmembrane protein, the serotonin receptor, 5HT(3A), has been incorporated into several supported membrane bilayer assemblies of increasing complexity. The 5HT(3A) receptor has large extracellular domains on both sides of the membrane, which could cause strong interactions. The bilayer assemblies include a simple POPC (1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine) supported planar bilayer, a “single-cushion” POPC bilayer with a PEG (poly(ethylene glycol)) layer between membrane and support, and a “double-cushion” POPC bilayer with both a PEG layer and a layer of BSA (bovine serum albumin). Single-cushion systems are designed to lift the bilayer from the surface, and double-cushion systems are designed to both lift the membrane and passivate the solid support. As in previously reported work, protein mobilities measured by ensemble fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) are quite low, especially in the double-cushion system. But single-particle tracking of fluorescent 5HT(3A) molecules shows that individual proteins in the double-cushion system have quite high local mobilities but are spatially confined within small corralling domains ( 450 nm). Comparisons with the simple POPC membrane and the single-cushion POPC?PEG membrane reveal that BSA both serves to minimize interactions with the solid support and creates the corrals that reduce the long-range (ensemble averaged) mobility of large transmembrane proteins. These results suggest that in double-cushion assemblies proteins with large extra-membrane domains may remain active and unperturbed despite low bulk diffusion constants.     

A facile approach for assembling lipid bilayer membranes on template-stripped gold

Lipid vesicles are designed with functional chemical groups to promote vesicle fusion on template-stripped gold (TS Au) surfaces that does not spontaneously occur on unfunctionalized Au surfaces. Three types of vesicles were exposed to TS Au surfaces: (1) vesicles composed of only 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) lipids; (2) vesicles composed of lipid mixtures of 2.5 mol % of 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-poly(ethylene glycol)-2000-N-[3-(2-pyridyldithio)propionate] (DSPE-PEG-PDP) and 97.5 mol % of POPC; and (3) vesicles composed of 2.5 mol % of 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-[methoxy(poly(ethylene glycol))-2000] (DSPE-PEG) and 97.5 mol % POPC. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) topography and force spectroscopy measurements acquired in a fluid environment confirmed tethered lipid bilayer membrane (tLBM) formation only for vesicles composed of 2.5 mol % DSPE-PEG-PDP/97.5 mol % POPC, thus indicating that the sulfur-containing PDP group is necessary to achieve tLBM formation on TS Au via Au-thiolate bonds. Analysis of force-distance curves for 2.5 mol % DSPE-PEG-PDP/97.5 mol % POPC tLBMs on TS Au yielded a breakthrough distance of 4.8 ± 0.4 nm, which is about 1.7 nm thicker than that of POPC lipid bilayer membrane formed on mica. Thus, the PEG group serves as a spacer layer between the tLBM and the TS Au surface. Fluorescence microscopy results indicate that these tLBMs also have greater mechanical stability than solid-supported lipid bilayer membranes made from the same vesicles on mica. The described process for assembling stable tLBMs on Au surfaces is compatible with microdispensing used in array fabrication.     

Structural characterization of the voltage-sensor domain and voltage-gated K+-channel proteins vectorially oriented within a single bilayer membrane at the solid/vapor and solid/liquid interfaces via neutron interferometry

The voltage-sensor domain (VSD) is a modular four-helix bundle component that confers voltage sensitivity to voltage-gated cation channels in biological membranes. Despite extensive biophysical studies and the recent availability of X-ray crystal structures for a few voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels and a voltage-gate sodium (Nav) channel, a complete understanding of the cooperative mechanism of electromechanical coupling, interconverting the closed-to-open states (i.e., nonconducting to cation conducting) remains undetermined. Moreover, the function of these domains is highly dependent on the physical-chemical properties of the surrounding lipid membrane environment. The basis for this work was provided by a recent structural study of the VSD from a prokaryotic Kv-channel vectorially oriented within a single phospholipid (1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC)) membrane investigated by X-ray interferometry at the solid/moist He (or solid/vapor) and solid/liquid interfaces, thus achieving partial to full hydration, respectively (Gupta et al. Phys. Rev. E2011, 84, 031911-1-15). Here, we utilize neutron interferometry to characterize this system in substantially greater structural detail at the submolecular level, due to its inherent advantages arising from solvent contrast variation coupled with the deuteration of selected submolecular membrane components, especially important for the membrane at the solid/liquid interface. We demonstrate the unique vectorial orientation of the VSD and the retention of its molecular conformation manifest in the asymmetric profile structure of the protein within the profile structure of this single bilayer membrane system. We definitively characterize the asymmetric phospholipid bilayer solvating the lateral surfaces of the VSD protein within the membrane. The profile structures of both the VSD protein and phospholipid bilayer depend upon the hydration state of the membrane. We also determine the distribution of water and exchangeable hydrogen throughout the profile structure of both the VSD itself and the VSD:POPC membrane. These two experimentally determined water and exchangeable hydrogen distribution profiles are in good agreement with molecular dynamics simulations of the VSD protein vectorially oriented within a fully hydrated POPC bilayer membrane, supporting the existence of the VSD's water pore. This approach was extended to the full-length Kv-channel (KvAP) at a solid/liquid interface, providing the separate profile structures of the KvAP protein and the POPC bilayer within the reconstituted KvAP:POPC membrane.     

甲基多巴透过POPC磷脂双层膜过程的分子动力学模拟

采用分子动力学模拟研究甲基多巴分子透过磷脂双层膜的动力学机制.研究所采用的磷脂双层膜是一种卵磷脂脂质分子双层膜,即1-棕榈酰-2-油酰-卵磷脂(POPC)双层膜,分子动力学模拟基于Gromacs程序.通过分子动力学模拟获得甲基多巴透过POPC双层膜的自由能垒是99.9 kJ·mol-1(310 K),显示甲基多巴分子可以透过细胞生物膜.模拟获得甲基多巴在POPC双层膜中间层扩散运动的自由能垒是16.9-27.7 kJ·mol-1(310 K),证明甲基多巴分子在细胞膜中间层容易扩散.研究工作加深了对甲基多巴治疗高血压病机制的理解,促进研发治疗高血压病的新药物.     

Bottom-up design and synthesis of limit size lipid nanoparticle systems with aqueous and triglyceride cores using millisecond microfluidic mixing

Limit size systems are defined as the smallest achievable aggregates compatible with the packing of the molecular constituents in a defined and energetically stable structure. Here we report the use of rapid microfluidic mixing for the controlled synthesis of two types of limit size lipid nanoparticle (LNP) systems, having either polar or nonpolar cores. Specifically, limit size LNP consisting of 1-palmitoyl, 2-oleoyl phosphatidylcholine (POPC), cholesterol and the triglyceride triolein were synthesized by mixing a stream of ethanol containing dissolved lipid with an aqueous stream, employing a staggered herringbone micromixer. Millisecond mixing of aqueous and ethanol streams at high flow rate ratios (FRR) was used to rapidly increase the polarity of the medium, driving bottom-up synthesis of limit size LNP systems by spontaneous assembly. For POPC/triolein systems the limit size structures consisted of a hydrophobic core of triolein surrounded by a monolayer of POPC where the diameter could be rationally engineered over the range 20-80 nm by varying the POPC/triolein ratio. In the case of POPC and POPC/cholesterol (55/45; mol/mol) the limit size systems achieved were bilayer vesicles of approximately 20 and 40 nm diameter, respectively. We further show that doxorubicin, a representative weak base drug, can be efficiently loaded and retained in limit size POPC LNP, establishing potential utility as drug delivery systems. To our knowledge this is the first report of stable triglyceride emulsions in the 20-50 nm size range, and the first time vesicular systems in the 20-50 nm size range have been generated by a scalable manufacturing method. These results establish microfluidic mixing as a powerful and general approach to access novel LNP systems, with both polar or nonpolar core structures, in the sub-100 nm size range.     

Pressure-dependent ion current rectification in conical-shaped glass nanopores

Ion current rectification that occurs in conical-shaped glass nanopores in low ionic strength solutions is shown to be dependent on the rate of pressure-driven electrolyte flow through the nanopore, decreasing with increasing flow rate. The dependence of the i-V response on pressure is due to the disruption of cation and anion distributions at equilibrium within the nanopore. Because the flow rate is proportional to the third power of the nanopore orifice radius, the pressure-driven flow can eliminate rectification in nanopores with radii of ～200 nm but has a negligible influence on rectification in a smaller nanopore with a radius of ～30 nm. The experimental results are in qualitative agreement with predictions based on finite-element simulations used to solve simultaneously the Nernst-Planck, Poisson, and Navier-Stokes equations for ion fluxes in a moving electrolyte within a conical nanopore.     

Nonequilibrium patterns of cholesterol-rich chemical heterogenieties within single fluid supported phospholipid bilayer membranes

We have developed a simple method to introduce cholesterol- and sphingomyelin-rich chemical heterogeneities into controlled densities and concentrations within predetermined regions of another distinct fluid phospholipid bilayer supported on a solid substrate. A contiguous primary phase--a fluid POPC bilayer displaying a well-defined array of lipid-free voids (e.g., 20-100 microm squares)--was first prepared on a clean glass surface by microcontact printing under water using a poly(dimethylsiloxane) stamp. The aqueous-phase primary bilayer pattern was subsequently incubated with secondary-phase small unilamellar vesicles composed of independent chemical compositions. Backfilling by comparable vesicles resulted in gradual mixing between the primary- and secondary-phase lipids, effacing the pattern. When the secondary vesicles consisted of phase-separating mixtures of cholesterol, sphingomyelin, and a phospholipid (2:1:1 POPC/sphingomyelin/cholesterol or 1:1:1 DOPC/sphingomyelin/cholesterol), well-defined spatial patterns of fluorescence, chemical compositions, and fluidities emerged. We conjecture that these patterns form because of the differences in the equilibration rates of the secondary liquid-ordered and liquid-disordered phases with the primary fluid POPC phase. The pattern stability depended strongly on the ambient-phase temperature, cholesterol concentration, and miscibility contrast between the two phases. When cholesterol concentration in the secondary vesicles was below 20 mol %, secondary intercalants gradually diffused within the primary POPC bilayer phase, ultimately dissolving the pattern in several minutes and presumably forming a new quasi-equilibrated lipid mixture. These phase domain micropatterns retain some properties of biological rafts including detergent resistance and phase mixing induced by selective cholesterol extraction. These patterns enable direct comparisons of cholesterol- and sphingomyelin-rich phase domains and fluid phospholipid phases for their functional preferences and may be useful for developing simple, parallelized assays for phase and chemical composition-dependent membrane functionalities.     

Molecular dynamics simulations of the Ca2+-pump: a structural analysis

We report large scale molecular dynamics computer simulations, ～100 ns, of the ion pump Ca(2+)-ATPase immersed in a 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) bilayer. The structure simulated here, E1, one of the several conformations resolved using X-ray diffraction techniques, hosts two Ca(2+)-ions in the hydrophobic domain. Our results indicate that protonated residues lead to stronger ion-residue interactions, supporting previous conclusions regarding the sensitivity of the Ca(2+) behaviour to the protonated state of the amino acid binding sites. We also investigate how the protein perturbs the bilayer structure. We show that the POPC bilayer is ～12% thinner than the pure bilayer, near the protein surface. This perturbation decays exponentially with the distance from the protein with a characteristic decay length of 0.8 nm. We find that the projected area per lipid also decreases near the protein. Using an analytical model we show that this change in the area is only apparent and it can be explained by considering the local curvature of the membrane. Our results indicate that the real area per lipid near the protein is not significantly modified with respect to the pure bilayer result. Further our results indicate that the local deformation of the membrane around the protein might be compatible with the enhanced protein activity observed in experiments over a narrow range of membrane thicknesses.     

Resistive-pulse detection of multilamellar liposomes

The resistive-pulse method was used to monitor the pressure-driven translocation of multilamellar liposomes with radii between 190 and 450 nm through a single conical nanopore embedded in a glass membrane. Liposomes (0% and 5% 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho-l-serine (sodium salt) in 1,2-dilauroyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine or 0%, 5%, and 9% 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho(1'-rac-glycerol) (sodium salt) in 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine) were prepared by extrusion through a polycarbonate membrane. Liposome translocation through a glass nanopore was studied as a function of nanopore size and the temperature relative to the lipid bilayer transition temperature, T(c). All translocation events through pores larger than the liposome, regardless of temperature, show translocation times between 30 and 300 μs and current pulse heights between 0.2% and 15% from the open pore baseline. However, liposomes at temperatures below the T(c) were captured at the pore orifice when translocation was attempted through pores of smaller dimensions, but squeezed through the same pores when the temperature was raised above T(c). The results provide insights into the deformation and translocation of individual liposomes through a porous material.     

Structural effects in the analysis of supported lipid bilayers by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry

We contribute to the rapidly emerging interest in the application of time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) for chemical analysis of biological materials by presenting a careful TOF-SIMS investigation of structurally different SiO2-supported phospholipid assemblies. Freeze-dried supported 1-oleoyl-2-palmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) bilayers, Langmuir-Blodgett POPC monolayers, and disordered thick POPC films were investigated. Compared with the two latter structures, the supported bilayer showed a strong (5-10 times) enhancement in the yield of both the molecular and the dimer ion peaks of POPC, suggesting that the molecular peak may be used as a sensitive indicator for changes in the membrane structure and, in particular, an indicator for the presence of bilayer structures in, e.g., cell and tissue samples. The detection efficiency and the useful lateral resolution indicate that a lateral resolution of around 100 nm can be obtained on all structures by imaging the phosphocholine ion at 184 u using Bi3+ primary ions. For the chemically specific molecular peak at 760 u, the measured detection efficiencies correspond to a useful lateral resolution of around 2 microm for the bilayer structure. The results are discussed in relation to recent dynamic SIMS (nano-SIMS) analysis of freeze-dried supported lipid bilayers, displaying similar or higher lateral resolution, but which in contrast to TOF-SIMS requires isotopic labeling of the analyzed lipids.     

甲基多巴透过POPC磷脂双层膜过程的分子动力学模拟

采用分子动力学模拟研究甲基多巴分子透过磷脂双层膜的动力学机制. 研究所采用的磷脂双层膜是一种卵磷脂脂质分子双层膜,即1-棕榈酰-2-油酰-卵磷脂（POPC）双层膜,分子动力学模拟基于Gromacs程序. 通过分子动力学模拟获得甲基多巴透过POPC双层膜的自由能垒是99.9 kJ·mol^-1（310 K）,显示甲基多巴分子可以透过细胞生物膜. 模拟获得甲基多巴在POPC双层膜中间层扩散运动的自由能垒是16.9-27.7 kJ·mol^-1（310 K）,证明甲基多巴分子在细胞膜中间层容易扩散. 研究工作加深了对甲基多巴治疗高血压病机制的理解,促进研发治疗高血压病的新药物.     

Performance of the general amber force field in modeling aqueous POPC membrane bilayers

The aim of this work was to answer the question of whether the general amber force field (GAFF) is good enough to simulate fully hydrated POPC membrane bilayers. The test system contained 128 POPC and 2985 TIP3P water molecules. The equilibration was carried out in a nonarbitrary manner to reach the stable liquid-crystalline phase. The simulations were performed by using particle mesh Ewald electrostatics implemented in molecular dynamics packages Amber8 (NPT ensembles) and NAMD2 (NPgammaT ensembles). The computational results were assessed against the following experimental membrane properties: (i) area per lipid, (ii) area compressibility modulus, (iii) order parameter, (iv) gauche conformations per acyl chain, (v) lateral diffusion coefficients, (vi) electron density profile, and (vii) bound water at the lipid/water interface. The analyses revealed that the tested force field combination approximates the experimental values at an unexpectedly good level when the NPgammaT ensemble is applied with a surface tension of 60 mN m(-1) per bilayer. It is concluded that the GAFF/TIP3P combination can be utilized for aqueous membrane bilayer simulations, as it provides acceptable accuracy for biomolecular modeling.     

高效液相色谱-荧光检测法测定敬钊毒素-I的磷脂膜结合活性

敬钊毒素-I(JZTX-I)是一种能够抑制心肌钠通道失活的新型蜘蛛神经毒素,该文结合高效液相色谱与色氨酸荧光测定技术研究了JZTX-I的磷脂膜结合活性。脂质体共沉淀实验表明,JZTX-I具有不依赖于带负电荷磷脂组成的生物膜结合活性。当加入由酸性或中性磷脂构成的脂质体后,JZTX-I能够分别产生6.4和4.7 nm的蓝移以及7.4和8.0 nm的红移激发漂移,显示JZTX-I能够插入磷脂膜,同时该分子疏水表面的色氨酸残基处于一个运动受限的界面区域。荧光淬灭实验进一步证实,与脂质体结合能够减少该毒素分子表面色氨酸残基的溶剂暴露。该研究结果为阐明JZTX-I的离子通道门控调节机制提供了新的信息。     

Fluorescence microscopy of the pressure-dependent structure of lipid bilayers suspended across conical nanopores

Glass and fused-quartz nanopore membranes containing a single conically shaped pore are promising solid supports for lipid bilayer ion-channel recordings due to the high inherent stability of lipid bilayers suspended across the nanopore orifice, as well as the favorable electrical properties of glass and fused quartz. Fluorescence microscopy is used here to investigate the structure of the suspended lipid bilayer as a function of the pressure applied across a fused-quartz nanopore membrane. When a positive pressure is applied across the bilayer, from the nanopore interior relative to the exterior bulk solution, insertion or reconstitution of operative ion channels (e.g., α-hemolysin (α-HL) and gramicidin) in the bilayer is observed; conversely, reversing the direction of the applied pressure results in loss of all channel activity, although the bilayer remains intact. The dependence of the bilayer structure on pressure was explored by imaging the fluorescence intensity from Nile red dye doped into suspended 1,2-diphytanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine bilayers, while simultaneously recording the activity of an α-HL channel. The fluorescence images suggest that a positive pressure results in compression of the bilayer leaflets and an increase in the bilayer curvature, making it suitable for ion-channel formation and activity. At negative pressure, the fluorescence images are consistent with separation of the lipid leaflets, resulting in the observed loss of the ion-channel activity. The fluorescence data indicate that the changes in the pressure-induced bilayer structure are reversible, consistent with the ability to repeatedly switch the ion-channel activity on and off by applying positive and negative pressures, respectively.     

高效液相色谱-荧光检测法测定敬钊毒素-I的磷脂膜结合活性

敬钊毒素-I(JZTX-I)是一种能够抑制心肌钠通道失活的新型蜘蛛神经毒素,该文结合高效液相色谱与色氨酸荧光测定技术研究了JZTX-I的磷脂膜结合活性。脂质体共沉淀实验表明,JZTX-I具有不依赖于带负电荷磷脂组成的生物膜结合活性。当加入由酸性或中性磷脂构成的脂质体后,JZTX-I能够分别产生6.4和4.7nm的蓝移以及7.4和8.0nm的红移激发漂移,显示JZTX-I能够插入磷脂膜,同时该分子疏水表面的色氨酸残基处于一个运动受限的界面区域。荧光淬灭实验进一步证实,与脂质体结合能够减少该毒素分子表面色氨酸残基的溶剂暴露。该研究结果为阐明JZTX-I的离子通道门控调节机制提供了新的信息。     

Transmembrane potential across single conical nanopores and resulting memristive and memcapacitive ion transport

Memristive and memcapacitive behaviors are observed from ion transport through single conical nanopores in SiO(2) substrate. In i-V measurements, current is found to depend on not just the applied bias potential but also previous conditions in the transport-limiting region inside the nanopore (history-dependent, or memory effect). At different scan rates, a constant cross-point potential separates normal and negative hysteresis loops at low and high conductivity states, respectively. Memory effects are attributed to the finite mobility of ions as they redistribute within the negatively charged nanopore under applied potentials. A quantative correlation between the cross-point potential and electrolyte concentration is established.     

Multinuclear NMR studies of single lipid bilayers supported in cylindrical aluminum oxide nanopores

Lipid bilayers were deposited inside the 0.2 microm pores of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) filters by extrusion of multilamellar liposomes and their properties studied by 2H, 31P, and 1H solid-state NMR. Only the first bilayer adhered strongly to the inner surface of the pores. Additional layers were washed out easily by a flow of water as demonstrated by 1H magic angle spinning NMR experiments with addition of Pr3+ ions to shift accessible lipid headgroup resonances. A 13 mm diameter Anopore filter of 60 microm thickness oriented approximately 2.5 x 10(-7) mol of lipid as a single bilayer, corresponding to a total membrane area of about 500 cm2. The 2H NMR spectra of chain deuterated POPC are consistent with adsorption of wavy, tubular bilayers to the inner pore surface. By NMR diffusion experiments, we determined the average length of those lipid tubules to be approximately 0.4 microm. There is evidence for a thick water layer between lipid tubules and the pore surface. The ends of tubules are well sealed against the pore such that Pr3+ ions cannot penetrate into the water underneath the bilayers. We successfully trapped poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) with a molecular weight of 8000 in this water layer. From the quantity of trapped PEG, we calculated an average water layer thickness of 3 nm. Lipid order parameters and motional properties are unperturbed by the solid support, in agreement with existence of a water layer. Such unperturbed, solid supported membranes are ideal for incorporation of membrane-spanning proteins with large intra- and extracellular domains. The experiments suggest the promise of such porous filters as membrane support in biosensors.     

Carbon nanotube supported single phospholipid bilayer

Single bilayer membranes of 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) were formed on micron thin-films of hydrophilized carbon nanotubes (CNT) by fusion of small unilamellar vesicles. The structure of the membrane was investigated using neutron reflectivity (NR). The underlying thin film of CNT was formed by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) in the presence of Fe catalyst, followed by reaction with 5 M nitric acid to render the film hydrophilic. We demonstrate that this platform lends support to homogeneous and continuous bilayer membranes that have promising applications in the fields of biomaterials, biosensors, and biophysics.