On the Nanomechanical and Viscoelastic Properties of Coatings Made of Recombinant Sea Star Adhesive Proteins

To attach to surfaces in the sea, sea stars produce proteinaceous adhesive secretions. Sfp1 is a major constituent of this adhesive, where it present form four subunits (named Sfp1? ?) displaying specific protein-, carbohydrate- and metal-binding domains. Recently, two recombinant proteins inspired from have been produced: one corresponding C-terminal part Sfp1? other full-length Sfp1?. Adsorption ability tests showed that both were able adsorb coatings on different artificial seawater as well Tris buffer supplemented with NaCl or CaCl 2 . In study, we used Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) characterize nanomechanical properties these an emphasis functional characteristics such modulus elasticity. We AFM techniques which are most appropriate coating microstructure combined mapping its properties.