Protein adsorption on nano-scaled, rippled TiO2 and Si surfaces

Biointerphases. 2012 Dec;7(1-4):55. doi: 10.1007/s13758-012-0055-5. Epub 2012 Sep 7.

Abstract

We synthesized nano-scaled periodic ripple patterns on silicon and titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) surfaces by xenon ion irradiation, and performed adsorption experiments with human plasma fibrinogen (HPF) on such surfaces as a function of the ripple wavelength. Atomic force microscopy showed the adsorption of HPF in mostly globular conformation on crystalline and amorphous flat Si surfaces as well as on nano-structured Si with long ripple wavelengths. For short ripple wavelengths the proteins seem to adsorb in a stretched formation and align across or along the ripples. In contrast to that, the proteins adsorb in a globular assembly on flat and long-wavelength rippled TiO(2), but no adsorbed proteins could be observed on TiO(2) with short ripple wavelengths due to a decrease of the adsorption energy caused by surface curvature. Consequently, the adsorption behavior of HPF can be tuned on biomedically interesting materials by introducing a nano-sized morphology while not modifying the stoichiometry/chemistry.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adsorption*
  • Fibrinogen / chemistry*
  • Fibrinogen / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Microscopy, Atomic Force
  • Silicon / chemistry*
  • Silicon / metabolism
  • Titanium / chemistry*
  • Titanium / metabolism

Substances

  • titanium dioxide
  • Fibrinogen
  • Titanium
  • Silicon