Preparation of Hydrophilic Polystyrene Microspheres with Casein Molecules on the Surface

Friction force spectroscopy as a tool to study the strength and lateral diffusion of protein layers

We present a method to study the strength of layers of biological molecules in liquid medium. The method is based on the Friction Force Spectroscopy operation mode of the Atomic Force Microscope. It works by scratching the sample surface at different applied loads while registering the evolution of the sample topography and of the friction between probe and sample. Results are presented for BSA and β-casein monolayers on hydrophobic surfaces. We show how the simultaneous monitoring of topography and friction allows detecting differences not only between the strength of both types of layers, but also between the lateral diffusion of the proteins within these layers. Specifically, β-casein is shown to form stronger layers than BSA. The yield strengths calculated for both of these systems are in the range 50-70 MPa. Moreover, while no lateral diffusion is observed for BSA, we show that β-casein diffuses along the hydrophobic substrates at a rate higher than the scan velocity of the tip (16 μm s(-1) in our case).

Friction force spectroscopy of β- and κ-casein monolayers

Friction force spectroscopy (FFS) has been applied to study the tribological properties of β- and κ-casein layers on hydrophobic substrates in aqueous solutions. Nanometer-sized imaging tips were employed. This allowed exerting and determining the high pressures needed to remove the layers and registering the topographic evolution during this process. Both β- and κ-casein layers showed similar and not particularly high initial frictional responses (friction coefficient of ∼1 when measured with a silicon nitride tip). The pressures needed to remove the layers were of the same order of magnitude for both proteins, ∼10(8) Pa, but slightly higher for those composed of β-casein. The technique has also shown to be useful in studying the two-dimensional lateral diffusion of the proteins and the wear on the layers they form.