A method for fabrication of a membrane on a surface, the method comprising: providing a flow-recirculating microfluidic device having at least one inlet port and channel exits in proximity of the surface ; and locally delivering one or more processing solutions including one or more membrane sources adapted and configured to form a membrane on the surface , said one or more membrane sources forming a monolayer , a bilayer or a multilayer two-dimensional fluid membrane on said surface; characterized in that the processing solutions are surfactant-comprising processing liquids, and in that the method further comprises: providing a volume of an aqueous solution acting as a confining liquid said volume having an outer surface interfacing two environments, wherein one of the environments is the confining liquid; introducing the flow-recirculating microfluidic device into said volume of confining liquid such that one or more outlet ports of the microfluidic device are positioned below said outer surface; dispensing said one or more processing solutions from the flow-recirculating microfluidic device into the confining liquid such that the one or more processing solutions are hydrodynamically confined between the confining liquid and the surface , thereby fabricating said membrane ; and translating a relative position of the channel exits of said flow-recirculating microfluidic device relative to the surface to create a two-dimensional fluid membrane having a geometry defined by a translation path. providing a flow-recirculating microfluidic device having at least one inlet port and channel exits in proximity of the surface ; and locally delivering one or more processing solutions including one or more membrane sources adapted and configured to form a membrane on the surface , said one or more membrane sources forming a monolayer , a bilayer or a multilayer two-dimensional fluid membrane on said surface; characterized in that the processing solutions are surfactant-comprising processing liquids, and in that the method further comprises: providing a volume of an aqueous solution acting as a confining liquid said volume having an outer surface interfacing two environments, wherein one of the environments is the confining liquid; introducing the flow-recirculating microfluidic device into said volume of confining liquid such that one or more outlet ports of the microfluidic device are positioned below said outer surface; dispensing said one or more processing solutions from the flow-recirculating microfluidic device into the confining liquid such that the one or more processing solutions are hydrodynamically confined between the confining liquid and the surface , thereby fabricating said membrane ; and translating a relative position of the channel exits of said flow-recirculating microfluidic device relative to the surface to create a two-dimensional fluid membrane having a geometry defined by a translation path. providing a volume of an aqueous solution acting as a confining liquid said volume having an outer surface interfacing two environments, wherein one of the environments is the confining liquid; introducing the flow-recirculating microfluidic device into said volume of confining liquid such that one or more outlet ports of the microfluidic device are positioned below said outer surface; dispensing said one or more processing solutions from the flow-recirculating microfluidic device into the confining liquid such that the one or more processing solutions are hydrodynamically confined between the confining liquid and the surface , thereby fabricating said membrane ; and translating a relative position of the channel exits of said flow-recirculating microfluidic device relative to the surface to create a two-dimensional fluid membrane having a geometry defined by a translation path. <EOS>