Adsorption of proteins from solution at the solid-liquid interface

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to present some general principles and rules for the adsorption of proteins from aqueous solution on solid surfaces, emphasizing conformational and reversibility aspects. Special attention is paid to the relation between structural properties of the protein molecule and its adsorption behavior and to the role of small ions in the overall adsorption process. Thermodynamic analysis reveals that, under many conditions, the adsorption is driven by an entropy increase that is (partly) related to changes in the structure of the protein molecules.