TiO₂@BSA nano-composites investigated through orthogonal multi-techniques characterization platform

Area of Science:

• Nanomaterials Science
• Biomaterials Engineering
• Surface Chemistry

Background:

• Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles are widely used but can exhibit unpredictable surface reactivity.
• Interaction with biological fluids leads to protein adsorption, forming a protein corona.
• Developing biocompatible coatings is essential for safe nanomaterial application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create a "Safe-by-Design" coating using bovine serum albumin (BSA) on TiO2 nanoparticles.
• To characterize the properties and stability of the resulting TiO2@BSA composites.
• To quantify the amount and stability of BSA coating for controlling nanoparticle reactivity.

Main Methods:

• Application of BSA coating on two types of TiO2 nanoparticles (Aeroxide P25 and E171).
• Implementation of an orthogonal multi-techniques characterization platform.
• Quantitative determination of bound and free BSA on nanoparticle surfaces.

Main Results:

• Successful deposition and characterization of BSA coatings on TiO2 nanoparticles.
• Quantification of adsorbed and non-adsorbed BSA, providing insights into coating stability.
• Demonstration of an orthogonal approach for characterizing nanoparticle-protein interactions.

Conclusions:

• BSA coatings can be engineered to harmonize surface reactivity of TiO2 nanoparticles.
• The developed characterization strategy is key for designing safe nanomaterials.
• This approach can be extended to other nanomaterials to investigate protein corona formation and minimize biological impact.