Float and Compress: Honeycomb-like Array of a Highly Stable Protein Scaffold

• Published in: Langmuir Vol. 25; no. 9; pp. 5226 - 5229
• Main Authors: Heyman, Arnon, Medalsy, Izhar, Dgany, Or, Porath, Danny, Markovich, Gil, Shoseyov, Oded
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Chemical Society 05-05-2009
• Subjects: Air; Biological Interfaces: Biocolloids, Biomolecular and Biomimetic Materials; Chemistry; Colloidal state and disperse state; Exact sciences and technology; General and physical chemistry; Microscopy, Atomic Force; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; Nanotechnology - methods; Proteins - chemistry; Proteins - ultrastructure; Surface physical chemistry; Water - chemistry; Honeycomb; Protein
• ISSN: 0743-7463; 1520-5827
• DOI: 10.1021/la804132z

Organizing nano-objects, proteins in particular, on surfaces is one of the primary goals of bio/chemical nanotechnology. A highly stable protein scaffold (6His-SP1) was organized into a hexagonal 2D array by a new, versatile method. The protein was expelled from solution into the air/water interface and compressed in a Langmuir trough into a closely packed monolayer without the use of phospholipids or other surfactants at the interface. The 2D arrays formed at the air/water interface were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM).