Bioactive surface modification of mica and poly(dimethylsiloxane) with hydrophobins for protein immobilization

Bioactive surfaces with appropriate hydrophilicity for protein immobilization can be achieved by hydrophobin II (HFBI) self-assembly on mica and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surfaces. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and water contact angle measurements illustrated that the surface wettability can be changed from superhydrophobic (PDMS) or superhydrophilic (mica) to moderately hydrophilic, which is suitable for protein (chicken IgG) immobilization on both substrate surfaces. The results suggest that HFBI assembly, one kind of hydrophobin from Trichoderma reesei, may be a versatile and convenient method for the immobilization of biomolecules on diverse substrates, which may have potential applications in biosensors, immunoassays, and microfluidic networks.