Electroformation of giant liposomes in microfluidic channels

Abstract

We present an on-chip method to produce various types of giant liposomes using electroformation in microfluidic channels. These channels were sandwiched between glass slides coated with indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes. Giant liposomes were formed inside the channels by applying an ac voltage. Important characteristics of the obtained liposomes were investigated quantitatively. We found that 54% of the liposomes produced by electroformation had diameters exceeding 10 µm and that 90% of the liposomes did not enclose extra liposomes inside themselves. Using two microfluidic channels, we found that giant liposomes with nano/micrometre- sized materials encapsulated were formed simultaneously on a chip.