Die Adsorption von Proteinen an Metall- und Halbleiter-Oberflächen

• Applicant: Dr. Kurt Tosja Zywietz
• Subject Area: Physical Chemistry of Molecules, Liquids and Interfaces, Biophysical Chemistry
• Term: from 2000 to 2003
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5274436

The objective of this project is to study the adsorption of proteins and biomolecules at surfaces, which is an important and challenging interdisciplinary field of natural science. Its general practical importance includes such diverse areas as biosensors, bioelectronics, DNA computing, implantation and function of biomaterials, and medical implants. In addition, this field is very interesting from a purely academic perspective, since it contains several conceptually nontrivial problems in the fields of biophysics and physical chemistry. While some of the mesoscopic aspects of protein adsorption at surfaces have been investigated already quite extensively, the atomistic mechanisms are not well understood. In order to control, predict and manipulate protein adsorption on any kind of surface it is essential to gain a better understanding of the basic principles and forces. The aim of this research proposal is to investigate theoretically the atomic mechanisms behind the diverse adsorption phenomena of proteins on solid surfaces by combining powerful ab initio methods (density-functional theory) with methods from statistical mechanics to bridge the gap between solid state physics and biochemical research.

• DFG Programme: Emmy Noether International Fellowships
• Participating Person: Professor Dr. J. Andrew McCammon