Biomolecules at Surface and Interfaces

A special issue of Surfaces (ISSN 2571-9637).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 2552

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
School of Physical Sciences & Engineering, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, UK
Interests: fundamental to applied aspects of interfacial systems relevant to sustainable technologies (e.g., batteries, solar cells, artificial photosynthesis); fluidic systems where interfacial effects are important (e.g., liquid-liquid microfluidics and electrospinning)

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biomolecules at interfaces are of wide interest. The biofouling of surfaces and its prevention is one centuries-old example, but there are many other more recent examples such as the use of solid-binding peptides to direct the self-assembly of nanostructures and nanomaterials, biosensors, bioelectronics, biocomputing, bioelectrocatalysis, biofuel cells, biomining, vaccine purification, nanomedicines, and anti-bacterial coatings, and the list goes on. While research of biomolecules at interfaces has a rich and long history, recent advances in analytical and computational techniques—as well as the growing realisation of the importance of bio-interfacial systems—have seen this research and its impact accelerate over the past decade or so. The intention of this Special Issue is to gather these recent advances and new developments in one place to create a go-to resource for those working on the fundamentals of biomolecules at interfaces and their exploitation in new technologies, medicines, and so on that meet the needs of society. We are pleased to invite you to contribute to the building of this resource that will be accessible to all in the community due to the open access nature of this journal. The highest standards will be adhered to in the review and publication processes.

This Special Issue aims to gather in one place recent advances and new developments in the field of biomolecules at interfaces that will support further fundamental advances and the creation of new impact in society.

In this Special Issue, both original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

Experimental methods for the identification of peptides specific to an interface.
Computational methods for the design of peptides specific to an interface.
Experimental and/or modelling approaches for elucidating the fundamentals of biomolecules at interfaces, including adsorption, conformation, and electron transfer, amongst other phenomena.
All applications of biomolecules at interfaces.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Mark Biggs
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Surfaces is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • proteins
  • peptides
  • cells
  • adsorption
  • binding
  • cell surface display
  • phage display
  • bio-panning
  • biosensors
  • bioelec-tronics
  • biofuel cells
  • bioelectrocatalysis
  • biocomputing
  • biomining
  • biorecovery
  • anti-bacterial
  • artificial photosyn-thesis
  • directed self-assembly
  • nanostructures
  • nanomaterials
  • nanoporous materials
  • nanomedicine

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 5381 KB  
Article
Development of a Colorimetric Polydiacetylene, Solid-Substrate Sensor for SARS-CoV-2 Detection in Human Saliva
by Christopher T. Stueber, Timothy W. Hanks, Paul L. Dawson, Julie K. Northcutt, William T. Pennington and Belinda Cochran
Surfaces 2025, 8(4), 79; https://doi.org/10.3390/surfaces8040079 - 11 Nov 2025
Viewed by 476
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic caused tremendous loss of life and long-term health effects for many. The virus continues to evolve, and new variants have the potential to cause widespread physical and economic impacts. Long-chain carboxylic acids featuring two conjugated acetylenes midway along the chain [...] Read more.
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic caused tremendous loss of life and long-term health effects for many. The virus continues to evolve, and new variants have the potential to cause widespread physical and economic impacts. Long-chain carboxylic acids featuring two conjugated acetylenes midway along the chain easily self-assemble onto various substrates, particularly polyvinylidene fluoride, and then polymerize to form a deep blue film. COVID-19 nucleocapsid or spike protein antibodies can be conjugated to the film, and upon exposure to appropriate trigger proteins, they turn pink or red. Certain additives commonly found in commercial preparations of COVID-19 proteins can trigger false positives. The addition of small amounts of surfactants can increase detector sensitivity, though this must be carefully controlled to avoid false positives. Sensing systems based on both nucleocapsid and ACE2 antibodies can detect authentic samples of the virus in human saliva. The platform is readily adaptable to antibodies from new variants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomolecules at Surface and Interfaces)
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14 pages, 2534 KB  
Article
Interplay Between Membrane Adhesion and Distribution of Lipid Rafts
by Iyad Bin Hussain Thalakodan and Bartosz Różycki
Surfaces 2025, 8(3), 62; https://doi.org/10.3390/surfaces8030062 - 27 Aug 2025
Viewed by 1638
Abstract
Adhesion of cell membranes is relevant to many biological processes and arises from the specific binding of membrane-anchored receptor proteins to their ligands present in the apposing membrane. Here, we employ a statistical–mechanical model and perform Monte Carlo simulations to study a system [...] Read more.
Adhesion of cell membranes is relevant to many biological processes and arises from the specific binding of membrane-anchored receptor proteins to their ligands present in the apposing membrane. Here, we employ a statistical–mechanical model and perform Monte Carlo simulations to study a system of adhered membranes in which the receptor and ligand proteins exhibit affinity for association with so-called lipid rafts, which are fluctuating nanoscale molecular clusters enriched in sphingolipid and cholesterol. We focus on equilibrium properties of the adhered membranes in the mixed phase, where both the membrane-anchored proteins and lipid rafts are distributed more-or-less uniformly within the membranes. Our simulation results show that lateral attraction between lipid rafts enhances the receptor–ligand binding, affecting the adhesion of the membranes. On the other hand, the receptor–ligand binding causes lipid rafts to be distributed less uniformly within the membranes and, simultaneously, leads to an increased co-localization of the membrane-anchored proteins with lipid rafts. We quantify and discuss all these effects, providing a detailed picture of the complex interplay between the adhesion of the membranes and the lateral distribution of the membrane-anchored proteins and lipid rafts. Our results broaden the understanding of the physical mechanisms that determine the supra-molecular organization of lipid rafts and membrane receptors in cell membranes. This understanding may help to elucidate how lipid rafts function in biological processes such as cell signaling and immune responses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomolecules at Surface and Interfaces)
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