AFM investigation of the adsorption process of bovine serum albumin on mica

Bovine serum albumin molecules have been adsorbed onto mica surfaces from aqueous solutions at pH 3 and 6. The adsorbed surfaces prepared at different adsorption times have been observed by atomic force microscopy. At pH 3, monolayer adsorption proceeded with time, an almost all of surface was covered after 20 min. Although the adsorption at pH 6 was monolayer at first, multilayer adsorption proceeded after 1 min. The adsorbed molecules arranged ''side-on'' at both pH values. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.