Programmable Physical Properties of Freestanding Chitosan Membranes Electrofabricated in Microfluidics

Abstract

Microfluidic-integrated freestanding membranes with suitable biocompatibility and tunable physicochemical properties are in high demand for a wide range of life science and biological studies. However, there is a lack of facile and rapid methods to integrate such versatile membranes into microfluidics. A recently invented interfacial electrofabrication of chitosan membranes offers an in-situ membrane integration strategy that is flexible, controllable, simple, and biologically friendly. In this follow-up study, we explored the ability to program the physical properties of these chitosan membranes by varying the electrofabrication conditions (e.g., applied voltage and pH of alginate). We found a strong association between membrane growth rate, properties, and fabrication parameters: high electrical stimuli and pH of alginate resulted in high optical retardance and low permeability, and vice versa. This suggests that the molecular alignment and density of electrofabricated chitosan membranes could be actively tailored according to application needs. Lastly, we demonstrated that this interfacial electrofabrication could easily be expanded to produce chitosan membrane arrays with higher uniformity than the previously well-established flow assembly method. This study demonstrates the tunability of the electrofabricated membranes’ properties and functionality, thus expanding the utility of such membranes for broader applications in the future.