ABSTRACT

The adsorption or macromolecules on solid surfaces presents some specific aspects, in particular its irreversibility toward dilution, which has been analyzed theoretically [1]. For biopolymers, and in particular for proteins, clear theoretical explanations are not yet available. However, it is known that they interact with surfaces by forming a large number of physical interactions (electrostatic interactions, dispersion forces, hydrophobic interactions that can be described by means of Lewis acid-base forces [2], hydrogen bonds). Moreover, proteins display the ability to change their conformation [3-5] during the adsorption process, thus allowing a variation of the enthalpy and entropy of the system. These two characteristic features are believed to induce specific properties for protein adsorption processes.