Kinetic evidences of the existence of positively charged species at the quartz-aqueous solution interface.

To probe the surface speciation of quartz in strong acidic solutions (pH 0-3), where surface titration and electrophoresis are extremely difficult to perform, dissolution rates of this mineral were measured at 25 degrees C and constant ionic strength (1.0 M) using mixed-flow and batch reactors. Dissolution rates increase with activity of protons at 0 < or = pH < or = 3, which suggests the adsorption of H+ on the mineral surface, leading to polarization of SiO bonds and detachment of the silicon atom from the structure. This scheme is consistent with the presence of a non-negligible amount (i.e., up to 30-50% at pH close to 0) of protonated >SiOH2+ species on the surface, as was recently demonstrated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis of exactly the same quartz sample [Y. Duval, J. Mielczarski, O.S. Pokrovsky, E. Mielczarski, J.J. Ehrhardt, J. Phys. Chem. B 106 (2002) 2937-2945]. A 2-pK electrical double layer (EDL) constant capacitance surface speciation model has been used to model the obtained kinetic data. A set of surface stability constants consistent with previous spectroscopic XPS measurements (pK1 = -1.0 and pK2 = 4.0) and EDL capacitance of 1.5 F/m2 provide adequate description of the dissolution rate with reaction order with respect to [>SiOH2(+)] close to 1. Although the CCM model used in this study presents some limitations on surface charge versus pH dependences, the developed kinetic approach opens new possibilities of probing the surface speciation at the SiO2-aqueous solution interface under extreme solution conditions.

Modification of polystyrene surface in aqueous solutions.

Herein, we report our analysis of the surface modification of polystyrene (PS) when treated under ambient conditions with a common biological buffer such as phosphate buffered saline (PBS) or aqueous solutions of the ionic constituents of PBS. Attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used for the analysis because the resultant spectra are very sensitive to minor changes in the chemical and structural properties of PS films. In addition, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy was applied to characterize the surface modifications of PS. Treatment with PBS resulted in the most significant chemical and structural surface modifications of the PS films, as compared with each of the solutions of the constituents of PBS, which were tested separately. A multistep mechanism for the wet modification of PS is discussed. We postulate that the observed surface modifications are the result of photo-oxidation/reduction, swelling, and conformational changes and re-arrangement of the polymer chain. The resultant surface modifications could be similar to those produced by commonly used dry processes such as plasma treatments and electron, ion or ultraviolet irradiation. We found that the modifications that occurred in PBS were more stable than those initiated by dry processes. The formation of active groups on the surface of PS can be controlled by adsorption of bovine serum albumin or thermal annealing of PS before PBS treatment. This approach provides a simple and efficient method for the surface modification of PS for biomedical applications.

Efficiency of blocking of non-specific interaction of different proteins by BSA adsorbed on hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces.

The efficiency of a pre-absorbed bovine serum albumin (BSA) layer in blocking the non-specific adsorption of different proteins on hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces was evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively using infrared reflection spectroscopy supported by spectral simulations. A BSA layer with a surface coverage of 35% of a close-packed monolayer exhibited a blocking efficiency of 90-100% on a hydrophobic and 68-100% on a hydrophilic surface, with respect to the non-specific adsorption of concanavalin A (Con A), immunoglobulin G (IgG), and staphylococcal protein A (SpA). This BSA layer was produced using a solution concentration of 1 mg/mL and 30 min incubation time. BSA layers that were adsorbed at conditions commonly employed for blocking (a 12 h incubation time and a solution concentration of 10 mg/mL) exhibited a blocking activity that involved competitive adsorption-desorption. This activity resulted from the formation of BSA-phosphate surface complexes, which correlated with the conformation of adsorbed BSA molecules that was favourable for blocking. The importance of optimisation of the adsorbed BSA layer for different surfaces and proteins to achieve efficient blocking was addressed in this study.

Quantitative and qualitative evaluation of adsorption/desorption of bovine serum albumin on hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces.

We studied the adsorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA) from phosphate-buffered saline (pH 7.4) to hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces. Attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, supported by spectral simulation, allowed us to determine with high precision the amount of BSA adsorbed (surface coverage) and its structural composition. The adsorbed BSA molecules had an alpha-helical structure on both hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces but had different molecular conformations and adsorption strengths on the two types of surface. Adsorption of BSA was saturated at around 50% surface coverage on the hydrophobic surface, whereas on the hydrophilic surface the adsorption reached 95%. The BSA molecules adsorbed to the hydrophilic surface with a higher interaction strength than to the hydrophobic surface. Very little adsorbed BSA could be desorbed from the hydrophilic surface, even using 0.1 M sodium dodecyl sulfate, a strong detergent solution. The formation of BSA-phosphate surface complexes was observed under different BSA adsorption conditions on hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces. The formation of these complexes correlated with the more efficient blocking of nonspecific interactions by the adsorbed BSA layer. Results from the molecular modeling of BSA interactions with hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces support the spectroscopic findings.