Hydrogel-supported protein-tethered bilayer lipid membranes: a new approach toward polymer-supported lipid membranes

Polymer-supported bilayer lipid membranes offer great opportunities for the investigation of functional membrane proteins. Here we present a new approach in this direction by introducing a thin hydrogel layer as a soft ‘cushion’ on indium–tin oxide (ITO), providing a smooth, functional surface to form the protein-tethered BLM (ptBLM). ITO was used as a transparent electrode, enabling simultaneous implementation of electrochemical and optical waveguide techniques. The hydrogel poly(N-(2-hydroxyethyl)acrylamide-co-5-acrylamido-1-carboxypentyl-iminodiacetate-co-4-benzoylphenyl methacrylate) (P(HEAAm-co-NTAAAm-co-MABP)) was functionalized with the nickel chelating nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) gr…