Protein adsorption to organosiloxane surfaces studied by acoustic wave sensor

Surfaces of the two organosiloxanes, polymercaptopropylmethylsiloxane and octaphenylcyclotetrasiloxane, were prepared on the gold electrodes of thickness-shear mode acoustic wave sensors. Compounds containing the siloxane bond are important in the fabrication of medical implants. The flow-through adsorption of the proteins: human serum albumin, alpha-chymotripsinogen A, cytochrome c, fibrinogen, hemoglobin, immunoglobulin G and apo-transferrin to the two siloxane surfaces and a gold electrode were detected by acoustic network analysis. With the exception of minor wash-off by buffer flow, the adsorption of all proteins to the three surfaces is irreversible. Differences observed for the magnitudes of adsorption for the various cases are ascribed to the role played by molecular interactions at the liquid/solid interface. The results confirm that changes in series resonant frequencies caused by macromolecular adsorption differ significantly from the widely accepted "mass based" model usually employed to characterize the response of this type of acoustic wave device.