Integrated Nanoreactor Systems: Triggering the Release and Mixing of Compounds Inside Single Vesicles

Abstract

We present a method that allows the on-demand release and mixing of zepto- to femtoliter volumes of solutions in the interior of vesicular nanoreactors. The reactors comprise a nested system of lipid vesicles, part of which release their cargo in the interior of the others during a thermotropic phase transition. The performance of individual reactors immobilized on glass is characterized using confocal microscopy and a fluorescent dye that reports dilution during the release. The results confirm the predicted temperature-induced response and reveal a release transition width of 3 degrees C with a half time of approximately 1 min.