Biomolecules as soft matter surfaces

Soft matter surfaces, such as organic layers or polymer surfaces, are dynamical and inhomogeneous (only in special cases crystalline). In contact with solutions, the situation becomes more complex, but still addressable with Surface Science methods. In single molecules and supramolecular assemblies, a large fraction of the molecule forms the surface. Can a single (bio) molecule be interpreted as a soft matter surface? A plant virus with a well-defined tubular structure demonstrates the problems, for which molecular dynamics simulations can give some answers.