The use of colloidal supported lipid bilayers (CSLBs) has recently been
extended to create colloidal joints, that - in analogy to their macroscopic
counterparts - can flexibly connect colloidal particles. These novel elements
enable the assembly of structures with internal degrees of flexibility, but
rely on previously unappreciated properties: the simultaneous fluidity of the
bilayer, lateral mobility of inserted (linker) molecules and colloidal
stability. Here we characterize every step in the manufacturing of CSLBs in
view of these requirements using confocal microscopy and fluorescence recovery
after photobleaching (FRAP). Specifically, we have studied the influence of
different particle properties (roughness, surface charge, chemical composition,
polymer coating) on the quality and mobility of the supported bilayer. We find
that the insertion of lipopolymers in the bilayer can affect its homogeneity
and fluidity. We improve the colloidal stability by inserting lipopolymers or
double-stranded inert DNA into the bilayer. Finally, we include surface-mobile
DNA linkers and use FRAP to characterize their lateral mobility both in their
freely diffusive and bonded state. Our work offers a collection of experimental
tools for working with CSLBs in applications ranging from controlled bottom-up
self-assembly to model membrane studies.Comment: 23 pages, 12 figures (includes Supporting Information