Influence of albumin adsorption on physico-chemical properties of alumina surfaces

Abstract

The effect of albumin adsorption on neutral active aluminium oxide was investigated in the presence of polar and non-polar liquids. The adsorbed values were highest near the isoelectric point of albumin and varied in the range 5–10 and 3–11 mg g–1 with phosphate buffer and potassium chloride respectively after 2 and 24 h. In the case of aluminium oxide the effect of albumin adsorption on total heterogeneity of adsorbents is not explicit. On the one hand, the modified samples showed decreasing surface area with increase of surface coverage with albumin. On the other hand, modifications under the same conditions but without albumin caused similar changes. These effects suggest the strong influence of medium pH on surface properties (due to surface polarization) and competitive co-adsorption of ions on the process. The volumetric fractal dimensions of the studied materials change in the range 2.25–2.32 for pure aluminium oxide and BSA modified from the phosphate solution. Ed,max values (desorption energy in the maximum of distribution function) diminish (in the range 40–45 kJ mol–1) compared with pure aluminium oxide (Ed,max=52 kJ mol–1) for water thermodesorption at modified surfaces to the increase of a number of active centers of hydrophobic character, and weakening of the adsorbent–adsorbate increases.