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Functionalization of silicon tips with HSA for molecular swelling AFM measurements

M. FILIMON1,2,* , M. ALDERIGHI1

Affiliation

  1. Univesity of Pisa, Dept. of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, via Risorgimento 35 - 56126 Pisa, Italy
  2. University of Bucharest, Faculty of Physics, str. Magurele 105 – Bucharest, Romania

Abstract

The design of biocompatible synthetic surfaces is an important issue for medical applications. Surface modification techniques provide good approaches to control the interactions between living systems and implanted materials [1]. A similar approach can be used to investigate protein unfolding. The aim of our work is study a particular biocompatibility system: we have used chemical deposition of proteins (HSA-human serum albumin) over a silicon surface functionalized with a SAM (self-assemble monolayer). In fact, the microscope was used first in force curve mode for check if the SAM was effectively bonded to the surface, and after to imagine the protein bonded over the silicon sample. Both contact mode and tapping mode were performed during our analysis. In the present communication we report the preliminary results of an investigation aimed at exploiting atomic force microscopy (AFM) to measure the forces involved in the unfolding of proteins adsorbed on functionalized surfaces..

Keywords

Atomic force microscopy, Self-assembled monolayer, HSA and APTES.

Submitted at: Nov. 14, 2006
Accepted at: June 15, 2007

Citation

M. FILIMON, M. ALDERIGHI, Functionalization of silicon tips with HSA for molecular swelling AFM measurements, Journal of Optoelectronics and Advanced Materials Vol. 9, Iss. 6, pp. 1587-1591 (2007)