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Biointerphases

Journal for Biophysical Chemistry

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Protein adsorption on and swelling of polyelectrolyte brushes: A simultaneous ellipsometry-quartz crystal microbalance study

Biointerphases volume 5, pages 159–167 (2010)Cite this article

Abstract

With a coupled spectroscopic ellipsometry-quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) experimental setup, quantitative information can be obtained about the amount of buffer components (water molecules and ions) coupled to a poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) brush surface in swelling and protein adsorption processes. PAA Guiselin brushes with more than one anchoring point per single polymer chain were prepared. For the swollen brushes a high amount of buffer was found to be coupled to the brush-solution interface in addition to the content of buffer inside the brush layer. Upon adsorption of bovine serum albumin the further incorporation of buffer molecules into the protein-brush layer was monitored at overall electrostatic attractive conditions [below the protein isolectric poimt (IEP)] and electrostatic repulsive conditions (above the protein IEP), and the shear viscosity of the combined polymer-protein layer was evaluated from QCM-D data. For adsorption at the “wrong side” of the IEP an incorporation of excess buffer molecules was observed, indicating an adjustment of charges in the combined polymer-protein layer. Desorption of protein at pH 7.6 led to a very high stretching of the polymer-protein layer with additional incorporation of high amounts of buffer, reflecting the increase of negative charges on the protein molecules at this elevated pH.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden, Hohe Str. 6, 1069, Dresden, Germany

    Eva Bittrich, Klaus-Jochen Eichhorn, Manfred Stamm & Petra Uhlmann

  2. Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 207 Othmer Hall, 68588-0643, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA

    Keith Brian Rodenhausen

  3. Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 209N Scott Engineering Center, P.O. Box 880511, 68588-0511, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA

    Tino Hofmann & Mathias Schubert

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  1. Eva Bittrich
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  2. Keith Brian Rodenhausen
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  3. Klaus-Jochen Eichhorn
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  4. Tino Hofmann
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  5. Mathias Schubert
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  6. Manfred Stamm
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  7. Petra Uhlmann
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Bittrich, E., Rodenhausen, K.B., Eichhorn, KJ. et al. Protein adsorption on and swelling of polyelectrolyte brushes: A simultaneous ellipsometry-quartz crystal microbalance study. Biointerphases 5, 159–167 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1116/1.3530841

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1116/1.3530841