Float and compress: honeycomb-like array of a highly stable protein scaffold

Organizing nano- objects, proteins in particular, on surfaces is one of the primary goals of bio/chemical nanotechnology. Ahighly stable protein scaffold (6His-SP1) was organized into a hexagonal 12D array by a new, versatile method. The protein was expelled from solution into the air/water interface and compressed in a Langmuir trough into a closely packed monolayer without the use of phospholipids or other surfactants at the interface. The 2D arrays formed at the air/water interface were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM).