From Heterocoagulation to Biorecognition: Preparation of Surfaces for Direct Measurement of Their Interactions in a Surface Force Apparatus

Due to the atomic resolution in surface separation accessible the Surface Force Apparatus technique provides an avenue for investigating the interactions in real systems, provided the model surfaces chosen for study have both equivalent intricate surface chemistry and structural properties. To overcome the difficulty of surface-altering treatments when preparing suitable surfaces for the SFA and to realize interfaces fully representative of real systems immersed in solvents we have developed different experimental procedures. In particular, adsorption of nanoparticles from bulk colloidal dispersions, controlled solvent flow for coating substrates with polyelectrolytes multilayers, Langmuir Blodgett deposition of phospholipids membranes inserting ligands/receptors, all illustrate how one can get insights into subtle phenomena revealed by the force-distance profiles when the true colloidal state is maintained, biomaterials are built and molecular recognition is involved.