Investigations of biofilms formed on silica in contact with aqueous formulations containing laccase and maltodextrin

The formation of nano-scale biofilms on hydrophilic silica surfaces from aqueous polypeptide/polysaccharide mixtures containing laccase and maltodextrin was investigated in situ with quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D). Surface analysis techniques such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), optically stimulated electron emission (OSEE) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were applied for characterizing the resulting layers obtained after periods varying from a few seconds to several hours of contact between the substrate and the biopolymers formulation. The biofilm formation in contact with the aqueous laccase/maltodextrin suspension was studied at pH level 4.75, under conditions close to the isoelectric point of the enzyme. The few nanometers rough biofilms obtained were composed of a laccase/maltodextrin mixture, and their thickness was observed to steadily increase during 4?h of contact with the aqueous mixture of biopolymers. Remarkably, the still adhesive films obtained after 1?h of contact with aqueous polypeptide/polysaccharide mixture resisted a 30?min rinsing with acetate buffer. The biofilms growing process was monitored using OSEE, due to the effected attenuation of the UV-induced electron emission from the SiO₂/Si substrate, which was found to be more pronounced than the attenuation of the photoelectrons from the substrate which contribute to the XPS signals. Layers as thin as 1?nm were detected by the OSEE.