Adsorption of amyloid beta-peptide at polymer surfaces: a neutron reflectivity study.

The adsorption of amyloid beta-peptide at hydrophilic and hydrophobic modified silicon-liquid interfaces was characterized by neutron reflectometry. Distinct polymeric films were used to obtain noncharged (Formvar), negatively (sodium poly(styrene sulfonate)) and positively charged (poly(allylamine hydrochloride)) hydrophilic as well as hydrophobic surfaces (polystyrene and a polysiloxane-dodecanoic acid complex). Amyloid beta-peptide was found to adsorb at positively charged hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces, whereas no adsorbed layer was detected on hydrophilic noncharged and negatively charged films. The peptide adsorbed at the positively charged film as patches, which were dispersed on the surface, whereas a uniform layer was observed at hydrophobic surfaces. The thickness of the adsorbed peptide layer was estimated to be approximately 20 A. The peptide formed a tightly packed layer, which did not contain water. These studies provide information about the affinity of the amyloid beta-peptide to different substrates in aqueous solution and suggest that the amyloid fibril formation may be driven by interactions with surfaces.     

Molecular dynamics simulations of polyelectrolyte adsorption

We have performed molecular dynamics simulations of polyelectrolyte adsorption at oppositely charged surfaces from dilute polyelectrolyte solutions. In our simulations, polyelectrolytes were modeled by chains of charged Lennard-Jones particles with explicit counterions. We have studied the effects of the surface charge density, surface charge distribution, solvent quality for the polymer backbone, strength of the short-range interactions between polymers and substrates on the polymer surface coverage, and the thickness of the adsorbed layer. The polymer surface coverage monotonically increases with increasing surface charge density for almost all studied systems except for the system of hydrophilic polyelectrolytes adsorbing at hydrophilic surfaces. In this case the polymer surface coverage saturates at high surface charge densities. This is due to additional monomer-monomer repulsion between adsorbed polymer chains, which becomes important in dense polymeric layers. These interactions also preclude surface overcharging by hydrophilic polyelectrolytes at high surface charge densities. The thickness of the adsorbed layer shows monotonic dependence on the surface charge density for the systems of hydrophobic polyelectrolytes for both hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces. Thickness is a decreasing function of the surface charge density in the case of hydrophilic surfaces while it increases with the surface charge density for hydrophobic substrates. Qualitatively different behavior is observed for the thickness of the adsorbed layer of hydrophilic polyelectrolytes at hydrophilic surfaces. In this case, thickness first decreases with increasing surface charge density, then it begins to increase.     

Adsorption of codeine on hydrophilic silica and silica surface modified by hydrophobic groups in the presence of electrolytes

The adsorption of codeine from aqueous solution onto colloidal silica and silica surface-modified with chemiadsorbed octadecyl dimethyl silane (ODDMS) or dimethyl silane (DMS) groups was studied in the presence of neutral electrolytes at different pH values. From codeine-hydrochloride solutions codeine cations are strongly bound to negatively charged silica surfaces. Inorganic salts (NaCl, NaNO₃) reduce the adsorption of the organic cation. On silica modified by ODDMS (10% of surface silanol groups are occupied), codeine cations are adsorbed to a higher extent at pH 6, while at pH 8 the adsorbed amounts are lower than on the bare silica surface. Neutral electrolytes reduce codeine adsorption on the ODDMS modified silica. On the hydrophobic silica, completely covered by DMS groups, codeine adsorption is considerably lower than on the bare silica, but neutral salts increase the adsorption. The adsorption of codeine is compared with the adsorption of aggregating surfactant ions. Common and different features of their interactions with silica surfaces are outlined.     

Selective adsorption of protein molecules on phase-separated sapphire surfaces

Site-selective adsorption of protein molecules was found on sapphire surfaces that exhibit a phase separation into two domains: weakly charged hydrophobic domain and negatively charged hydrophilic one. Ferritin and bovine serum albumin molecules, which are negatively charged in a buffer solution, are adsorbed to the hydrophobic domains. Avidin molecules, which are positively charged, are adsorbed to the other domain. Fibrinogen molecules, which consist of both negative and positive modules, are adsorbed to the whole sapphire surface. Hemoglobin molecules, whose net charge is almost zero, are also adsorbed to the whole surfaces. These results indicate that electrostatic double layer interaction is the primary origin of the observed selectivity. Dependence of protein adsorption or desorption behaviors on the pH value can also be interpreted by the proposed model.     

Wetting of β-casein layers adsorbed at the solid–aqueous interface

The wetting by water of the adsorbed layer of β-casein on hydrophobised silica and pure (hydrophilic) silica surface was investigated by dynamic contact angle measurements based on the Wilhelmy plate principle. The results are discussed in relation to adsorption data obtained for the protein on similar surfaces by in situ ellipsometry. β-casein adsorption on a hydrophobic surface leads to a significant decrease of the contact angle, in particular in terms of the receding contact angle, which decreased by about 70°. This indicates a strong shielding of the hydrophobic surface by the hydrophilic domain of β-casein. Adding a specific enzyme, endoproteinase Asp-N, which previously has been proposed to remove a large fraction of the hydrophilic segments, results in a significantly decreased wettability of the solid surface. The layer is now more hydrophobic and the hysterises is much smaller. The receding contact angle after the proteolysis is roughly 70°. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that β-casein adsorbs at the hydrophobic surface to form a monolayer with the hydrophobic part of the protein anchored at the surface, leaving the hydrophilic segments dangling into the solution. Less dramatic effects are observed in terms of changes of the wettability on the hydrophilic surface. The surface is still quite hydrophilic both after adsorbing β-casein and exposing the layer to endoproteinase Asp-N. These results confirm the differences in the structure of β-casein layers on the hydrophobic and hydrophilic surface.     

Quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring and surface plasmon resonance studies of carboxymethyl cellulose adsorption onto regenerated cellulose surfaces

Adsorption of anionic polyelectrolytes, sodium salts of carboxymethyl celluloses (CMCs) with different degrees of substitution (DS = 0.9 and 1.2), from aqueous electrolyte solutions onto regenerated cellulose surfaces was studied using quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) experiments. The influence of both calcium chloride (CaCl(2)) and sodium chloride (NaCl) on CMC adsorption was examined. The QCM-D results demonstrated that CaCl(2) (divalent cation) caused significantly greater CMC adsorption onto regenerated cellulose surfaces than NaCl (monovalent cation) at the same ionic strength. The CMC layers adsorbed onto regenerated cellulose surfaces from CaCl(2) solutions exhibited greater stability upon exposure to flowing water than layers adsorbed from NaCl solutions. Both QCM-D and SPR results showed that CMC adsorption onto regenerated cellulose surfaces from CaCl(2) solutions increased with increasing CaCl(2) concentration up to the solubility limit (10 mM). Voigt-based viscoelastic modeling of the QCM-D data indicated that the CMC layers adsorbed onto regenerated cellulose surfaces had shear viscosities of η(f) ≈ 10(-3) N·s·m(-2) and elastic shear moduli of μ(f) ≈ 10(5) N·m(-2). Furthermore, the combination of SPR spectroscopy and QCM-D showed that the CMC layers contained 90-95% water. Adsorption isotherms for CMCs in CaCl(2) solutions were also obtained from QCM-D and were fit by Freundlich isotherms. This study demonstrated that CMC adsorption from CaCl(2) solutions is useful for the modification of cellulose surfaces.     

Contact angles of diiodomethane on silicon-doped diamond-like carbon coatings in electrolyte solutions

The influence of surrounding electrolyte type and concentration on the contact angle of hydrophobic diiodomethane on silicon-doped diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings was examined to provide insight into how the presence of electrolytes in the solution influences adhesion of hydrophobic material to doped DLC surfaces. There was a small but statistically significant increase of contact angle with increasing electrolyte concentration over the range from 0 to approximately 0.01 M, after which the contact angle was virtually unaffected by further increase in the concentration of electrolyte. It was shown that CaCl(2) has a stronger influence on the change of the contact angle than NaCl, and that an increase in Si content in the DLC coatings increased the change in the contact angle of diiodomethane for all types of electrolyte. These observations suggest that the adhesion to the Si-doped DLC surfaces is reduced by addition of the electrolytes to the surrounding solvent. This could be explained by increased ion adsorption on the DLC surface with increase in silicon doping, causing the surfaces to be more hydrophilic.     

Comparison of n-tetradecane/electrolyte emulsions properties stabilized by DPPC and DPPC vesicles in the electrolyte solution

The properties of n-tetradecane/electrolyte emulsions with DPPC or DPPC vesicles in the electrolyte solution were investigated. The DPPC molecules form different aggregates, which possess different surface affinity, size and structure, and therefore we assumed some differences in the adsorption at the oil droplet/water interface. The n-tetradecane emulsions in 1:1, 1:2 and 1:3 electrolytes were prepared by mechanical stirring in the presence of DPPC at natural pH. Electrokinetic properties of the systems were investigated taking into account the effective diameter and multimodal size distribution of the droplets as well as the zeta potentials using the dynamic light scattering technique. The zeta potential of the droplets was negative in all systems with NaCl. In the emulsions with CaCl(2) at a higher concentration of electrolyte and emulsions with LaCl(3) with all investigated concentrations, positive values were observed. Similar measurements were performed for DPPC vesicles in the electrolyte solution. The pH and ionic strength changes induce those in the electrical charge of DPPC layer or vesicle surface. This is due to the fact that the DPPC molecule contains -PO(-) and -N(CH(3))(3) groups, which are in equilibrium with H(+) and OH(-), as well as other ions present in the solution, i.e. Na(+), Ca(2+), La(3+) or Cl(-). In the n-tetradecane/electrolyte emulsion stabilized by DPPC or DPPC vesicles the zeta potential may be also related to acid-base interactions. The effect of the ions from the solution on the DPPC layer adsorbed on n-tetradecane droplets or DPPC vesicles is discussed.     

Adsorption and activity of Thermomyces lanuginosus lipase on hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces measured with dual polarization interferometry (DPI) and confocal microscopy

The adsorption and activity of Thermomyces lanuginosus lipase (TLL) was measured with dual polarization interferometry (DPI) and confocal microscopy at a hydrophilic and hydrophobic surface. In the adsorption isotherms, it was evident that TLL both had higher affinity for the hydrophobic surface and adsorbed to a higher adsorbed amount (1.90 mg/m²) compared to the hydrophilic surface (1.40–1.50 mg/m²). The thickness of the adsorbed layer was constant (3.5 nm) on both surfaces at an adsorbed amount >1.0 mg/m², but decreased on the hydrophilic surface at lower surface coverage, which might be explained by partially unfolding of the TLL structure. However, a linear dependence of the refractive index of the adsorbed layer on adsorbed amount of TLL on C18 surfaces indicated that the structure of TLL was similar at low and high surface coverage. The activity of adsorbed TLL was measured towards carboxyfluorescein diacetate (CFDA) in solution, which upon lipase activity formed a fluorescent product. The surface fluorescence intensity increase was measured in a confocal microscope as a function of time after lipase adsorption. It was evident that TLL was more active on the hydrophilic surface, which suggested that a larger fraction of adsorbed TLL molecules were oriented with the active site facing the solution compared to the hydrophobic surface. Moreover, most of the activity remained when the TLL surface coverage decreased. Earlier reports on TLL surface mobility on the same surfaces have found that the lateral diffusion was highest on hydrophilic surfaces and at low surface coverage of TLL. Hence, a high lateral mobility might lead to a longer exposure time of the active site towards solution, thereby increasing the activity against a water-soluble substrate.     

Selective coalescence of bubbles in simple electrolytes

Simple ions in electrolytes exhibit different degrees of affinity for the approach to the free surface of water. This results in strong ion-specific effects that are particularly dramatic in the selective inhibition of bubble coalescence. I present here the calculation of electrostatic interaction between free surfaces of electrolytes caused by the ion accumulation or depletion near a surface. When both anion and cation are attracted to the surface (like H+ and Cl- in HCl solutions), van der Waals attraction facilitates approach of the surfaces and the coalescence of air bubbles. When only an anion or cation is attracted to the surface (like Cl- in NaCl solutions), an electric double layer forms, resulting in repulsive interaction between free surfaces. I applied the method of effective potentials (evaluated from published ion density profiles obtained in simulations) to calculate the ionic contribution to the surface-surface interaction in NaCl and HCl solutions. In NaCl, but not in HCl, the double-layer interaction creates a repulsive barrier to the approach of bubbles, in agreement with the experiments. Moreover, the concentration where ionic repulsion in NaCl becomes comparable in magnitude to the short-range hydrophobic attraction corresponds to the experimentally found transition region toward the inhibition of coalescence.     

Adsorption of the fusogenic peptide B18 onto solid surfaces: insights into the mechanism of peptide assembly

The adsorption and assembly of B18 peptide on various solid surfaces were studied by reflectometry techniques and atomic force microscopy. B18 is the minimal membrane binding and fusogenic motif of the sea urchin protein bindin, which mediates the fertilization process. Silicon substrates were modified to obtain hydrophilic charged surfaces (oxide layer and polyelectrolyte multilayers) and hydrophobic surfaces (octadecyltrichlorosilane). B18 does not adsorb on hydrophilic positively charged surfaces, which was attributed to electrostatic repulsion since the peptide is positively charged. In contrast, the peptide irreversibly adsorbs on negatively charged hydrophilic as well as on hydrophobic surfaces. B18 showed higher affinity for hydrophobic surfaces than for hydrophilic negatively charged surfaces, which must be due to the presence of hydrophobic side chains at both ends of the molecule. Atomic force microscopy provided the indication that lateral diffusion on the surface affects the adsorption process of B18 on hydrophobic surfaces. The adsorption of the peptide on negatively charged surfaces was characterized by the formation of globular clusters.     

Structure of DNA-cationic surfactant complexes at hydrophobically modified and hydrophilic silica surfaces as revealed by neutron reflectometry

In this article, we discuss the structure and composition of mixed DNA-cationic surfactant adsorption layers on both hydrophobic and hydrophilic solid surfaces. We have focused on the effects of the bulk concentrations, the surfactant chain length, and the type of solid surface on the interfacial layer structure (the location, coverage, and conformation of the DNA and surfactant molecules). Neutron reflectometry is the technique of choice for revealing the surface layer structure by means of selective deuteration. We start by studying the interfacial complexation of DNA with dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) and hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) on hydrophobic surfaces, where we show that DNA molecules are located on top of a self-assembled surfactant monolayer, with the thickness of the DNA layer and the surfactant-DNA ratio determined by the surface coverage of the underlying cationic layer. The surface coverages of surfactant and DNA are determined by the bulk concentration of the surfactant relative to its critical micelle concentration (cmc). The structure of the interfacial layer is not affected by the choice of cationic surfactant studied. However, to obtain similar interfacial structures, a higher concentration in relation to its cmc is required for the more soluble DTAB surfactant with a shorter alkyl chain than for CTAB. Our results suggest that the DNA molecules will spontaneously form a relatively dense, thin layer on top of a surfactant monolayer (hydrophobic surface) or a layer of admicelles (hydrophilic surface) as long as the surface concentration of surfactant is great enough to ensure a high interfacial charge density. These findings have implications for bioanalytical and nanotechnology applications, which require the deposition of DNA layers with well-controlled structure and composition.     

Mucin-chitosan complexes at the solid-liquid interface: multilayer formation and stability in surfactant solutions

The adsorption of a biologically important glycoprotein, mucin, and mucin-chitosan complex layer formation on negatively charged surfaces, silica and mica, have been investigated employing ellipsometry, the interferometric surface apparatus, and atomic force microscopy techniques. Particular attention has been paid to the effect of an anionic surfactant sodium, dodecyl sulfate (SDS), with respect to the stability of the adsorption layers. It has been shown that mucin adsorbs on negatively charged surfaces to form highly hydrated layers. Such mucin layers readily associate with surfactants and are easily removed from the surfaces by rinsing with solutions of SDS at concentrations > or =0.2 cmc (1 cmc SDS in 30 mM NaCl is equal to 3.3 mM). The mucin adsorption layer is negatively charged, and we show how a positively charged polyelectrolyte, chitosan, associates with the preadsorbed mucin to form mucin-chitosan complexes that resist desorption by SDS even at SDS concentrations as high as 1 cmc. Thus, a method of mucin layer protection against removal by surfactants is offered. Further, we show how mucin-chitosan multilayers can be formed.     

Lipase-catalyzed reactions at different surfaces

Starting from gold chips, we have tailor-made three surfaces by the self-assembly monolayer technique: one entirely hydrophobic, one hydrophobic with dispersed carboxyl groups, and one hydrophilic, containing hydroxyl groups. Rhizomucor miehei lipase has been adsorbed to the hydrophobic and the hydrophilic surfaces and covalently bound to the surface containing carboxyl groups. The adsorption of two substrates-capric acid (decanoic acid) and monocaprin-on the lipase-covered surfaces was monitored by the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technique. Biocatalysis was also performed in the SPR instrument by circulating a solution of the substrate, dissolved in an 85:15 water-glycerol mixture at a(w) = 0.81, through the instrument, thus exposing the capric acid or the monocaprin to the lipase-covered surfaces. The product composition was found to depend on the type of surface used. Lipase adsorbed at the hydrophilic surface favored hydrolysis, and capric acid was the main product formed when monocaprin was used as substrate. Lipase adsorbed at a hydrophobic surface and, in particular, lipase covalently bound to a hydrophobic surface favored condensation. More dicaprin than capric acid was formed in experiments with monocaprin as the substrate. Reactions performed outside the SPR instrument showed that small amounts of triglyceride were also formed under these conditions. We believe that this work constitutes the first example of the SPR instrument being used for in-situ biotransformation.     

Normal and friction forces between mucin and mucin-chitosan layers in absence and presence of SDS

Employing the colloidal probe AFM technique we have investigated normal and friction forces between flat mica surfaces and silica particles coated with mucin and combined mucin-chitosan layers in presence and absence of anionic surfactant, SDS, in 30 mM NaCl solution. We have shown that the normal interactions between mucin coated mica and silica surfaces are dominated by long-range steric repulsion on both compression and decompression. Friction forces between such mucin layers are characterized by a low effective friction coefficient, mu(eff)=0.03+/-0.02, which is lower than the value of 0.13+/-0.02 observed when chitosan layers were adsorbed. Forces between combined mucin-chitosan layers have also been measured. Adsorption of chitosan on mucin results in considerable compaction of the layer, and development of attractive forces detectable on separation. Friction between mucin-chitosan layers in 30 mM NaCl solution is high, with mu(eff) approximately 0.4. Adsorption of additional mucin to this layer results in no improvement with respect to lubrication as compared to the mucin-chitosan layer, and mu(eff) approximately 0.4 is observed. We argue that the layers containing both mucin and chitosan are not strictly layered but rather strongly entangled. As a result attractive interactions between oppositely charged moieties of sialic acid residues from mucin and amine groups from chitosan residing on the opposing surfaces contribute to the increased friction. The effects of SDS on normal and friction forces between combined mucin-chitosan layers were also investigated. The relation between surface interactions and friction properties is discussed.     

Novel phase behavior in adsorbed film of fluoroalkanol and cationic surfactant mixture

The surface tension of the aqueous solution of the binary mixture of 1H,1H-heptafluoro-1-butanol (FC4OH) and dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) was measured as a function of the total molality of the mixture and the composition (mole fraction in the surfactant mixture) of DTAB at 298.15 K under atmospheric pressure to examine the phase behavior in the adsorbed film. The results of the surface tension measurement were analyzed by the thermodynamic procedure proposed by us and the composition of the mixed adsorbed film in equilibrium with their bulk solution was calculated. Three different phases of the adsorbed film appeared by a subtle balance between the attractive interaction of the polar head groups and weak dispersion interaction of the hydrophobic chains. In the low-concentration regime, FC4OH molecules and DTAB molecules form a gaseous film and mix attractively in the whole composition by the long-range ion–dipole attraction between hydrophilic groups. The effect of the attractive dispersion interaction between CH and CF chains became more influential in the expanded film within a restricted composition region, where it should be noted that the interaction between CH and CF is weaker than that between CH chains or between CF chains alone. Furthermore, the adsorbed films at two specific compositions are stabilized by the stoichiometric arrangements of the molecules, which help ion–dipole attraction, in them.     

On the stability of the polymer brushes formed by adsorption of ionomer complexes on hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces

We have studied the effect of normal forces and shear forces on the stability and functionality of a polymer brush layer formed upon adsorption of polymeric micelles on hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces. The micelles consist of oppositely charged polyelectrolyte blocks (poly(acrylic acid) and poly(N-methyl 2-vinyl pyridinium iodide), and a neutral block (poly(vinyl alcohol)) or neutral grafts (poly(ethylene oxide)). The strength of the attachment of the micellar layers to various substrates was evaluated with Atomic Force Microscopy. Flow cell experiments allowed for the evaluation of long-term stability of coatings in lateral flow. Fixed angle optical reflectometry was used to quantify protein (BSA) adsorption on the micellar layers after their exposure to flow. The results show that adsorbed micellar layers are relatively weakly attached to hydrophobic surfaces and much stronger to hydrophilic surfaces, which has a significant impact on their stability. Adsorbed layers maintain their ability to suppress protein adsorption on hydrophilic surfaces but not on hydrophobic surfaces. Due to the relatively weak attachment to hydrophobic surfaces the structure of adsorbed layers may easily be disrupted by lateral forces, such that the complex coacervate-brush structure no longer exists.     

Interaction of Plasma Proteins with Tri‐quaternary Ammonium Salt Cationic Surfactant Studied by QCM‐D

A tri‐quaternary ammonium salt cationic surfactant was synthesized. Its structure was confirmed by using Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy, ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses. Three model surfaces, including Au‐CH₃, Au‐OH and Au‐COOH, were fabricated. Adsorptions of surfactant on the three model surfaces and subsequent plasma proteins adsorption were investigated by quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM‐D). The mass of surfactant on the Au‐COOH surface was the largest, followed by that on the Au‐CH₃ surface, and that on the Au‐OH surface. These results suggested that the main driving force of surfactant immobilization was electrostatic interaction followed by hydrophobic interaction. Based on the results obtained, we concluded that the protein mass adsorbed on Au‐CH₃‐ S , Au‐OH‐ S , and Au‐COOH‐ S surfaces depended on the protein size and orientation. The mass and thickness of S on the Au‐COOH surface is the largest and the protein adsorption capacity of Au‐COOH‐ S surface is inferior to that of Au‐CH₃‐ S . The Au‐COOH‐ S surface could inhibit lysozyme adsorption, maintain the adsorption balance of bovine serum albumin, and induce fibrinogen‐binding protein adsorption.     

Cationic electrolyte adsorption layers on hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces

The capillary electrokinetics method (measurements of streaming potential and current in original and hydrophobized fused quartz capillaries with radii of 5–7 μm) is employed to study the formation of adsorption layers upon contact with solutions containing a cationic polyelectrolyte, poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride). It is shown that polyelectrolyte adsorption causes the charge reversal of both hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces, with a smaller amount of the substance being adsorbed on the hydrophobic than on the hydrophilic surface. The adsorption on both surfaces increases with the polymer solution concentration. The cationic polyelectrolyte adsorption on the pure quartz surface occurs mainly due to the electrostatic attraction, while, in the case of the hydrophobic surface, the contribution of hydrophobic interactions increases. The study of the layer deformability shows that, on the hydrophilic surfaces, the layer ages and its structure depends on the polymer solution concentration. On the modified surface, the deformation of even freshly formed layers is slight, which suggests that a denser layer is formed on the hydrophobic surface. In contrast to the hydrophilic surface, the polyelectrolyte is partly desorbed from the hydrophobic surface.     

In situ adsorption studies of a 14-amino acid leucine-lysine peptide onto hydrophobic polystyrene and hydrophilic silica surfaces using quartz crystal microbalance, atomic force microscopy, and sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy

The adsorption of a 14-amino acid amphiphilic peptide, LK14, which is composed of leucine (L, nonpolar) and lysine (K, charged), on hydrophobic polystyrene (PS) and hydrophilic silica (SiO2) was investigated in situ by quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy. The LK14 peptide, adsorbed from a pH 7.4 phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) solution, displayed very different coverage, surface roughness and friction, topography, and surface-induced orientation when adsorbed onto PS versus SiO2 surfaces. Real-time QCM adsorption data revealed that the peptide adsorbed onto hydrophobic PS through a fast (t < 2 min) process, while a much slower (t > 30 min) multistep adsorption and rearrangement occurred on the hydrophilic SiO2. AFM measurements showed different surface morphologies and friction coefficients for LK14 adsorbed on the two surfaces. Surface-specific SFG spectra indicate very different ordering of the adsorbed peptide on hydrophobic PS as compared to hydrophilic SiO2. At the LK14 solution/PS interface, CH resonances corresponding to the hydrophobic leucine side chains are evident. Conversely, only NH modes are observed at the peptide solution/SiO2 interface, indicating a different average molecular orientation on this hydrophilic surface. The surface-dependent difference in the molecular-scale peptide interaction at the solution/hydrophobic solid versus solution/hydrophilic solid interfaces (measured by SFG) is manifested as significantly different macromolecular-level adsorption properties on the two surfaces (determined via AFM and QCM experiments).