title: Selective protein immobilization onto gold nanoparticles deposited under vacuum on a protein-repellent self-assembled monolayer.
abstract: The immobilization of proteins on flat substrates plays an important role for a wide spectrum of applications in the fields of biology, medicine, and biochemistry, among others. An essential prerequisite for the use of proteins (e.g., in biosensors) is the conservation of their biological activity. Losses in activity upon protein immobilization can largely be attributed to a random attachment of the proteins to the surface. In this study, we present an approach for the immobilization of proteins onto a chemically heterogeneous surface, namely a surface consisting of protein-permissive and protein-repellent areas, which allows for significant reduction of random protein attachment. As protein-permissive, i.e., as protein-binding sites, ultra pure metallic nanoparticles are deposited under vacuum onto a protein-repellent PEG-silane polymer layer. Using complementary surface characterization techniques (atomic force microscopy, quartz crystal microbalance, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) we demonstrate that the Au nanoparticles remain accessible for protein attachment without compromising the protein-repellency of the PEG-silane background. Moreover, we show that the amount of immobilized protein can be controlled by tuning the Au nanoparticle coverage. This method shows potential for applications requiring the control of protein immobilization down to the single molecule level.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Solid State Physics and Magnetism, KU Leuven , Celestijnenlaan 200D, BE-3001 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Peissker
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Deschaume
authors.forename: Danielle R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Rand
authors.forename: Hans-Gerd
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Boyen
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Conard
authors.forename: Margriet J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Van Bael
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bartic
mesh_terms: D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry*; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D014618:Vacuum
chemical_list: D006046:Gold