Interfacial behaviour of biomacromolecules

Abstract

Biological macromolecules, proteins in particular, belong to the most interesting and challenging surfactants. Many of these molecules are endowed with very special properties, required to carry out specific biological processes. Structure-functioning relationships have been studies for decades by biologists and biochemists, and many applications are now known.

A colloid scientist would interpret biomacromolecules as supramolecular structures that only to a limited extent obey classical colloidal laws. The delicate balance between energetically and entropically driven interactions that determine the special structures and the stability of these molecules is a particularly interesting problem. Offering a surface onto which these molecules can adsorb and monitoring the incurred structural alterations is one approach to obtain more information. Results will be discussed for a number of proteins, including γ-globulins and constituent parts of them. In addition, some new information will be presented about the biopolymers in the surfaces of bacterial cells.