X-ray reflectivity study of the self-assembly of ordered lysozyme films

It is shown that the method of self-assembly of multilayer structures can be successfully used to obtain structures including the globular protein lysozyme. A precursor film was obtained by alternating adsorption of polyanions [sodium poly(styrenesulfonate)] and polycations [poly(allylaimine) hydrochoride.] The process of film assembly was controlled by the x-ray reflectivity method. It is shown that the total thickness of a multilayer film increases linearly with the number of layers of polyelectrolyte pairs. The average thickness of the layer of polyelectrolyte pairs was 37 A. The thickness of the adsorbed lysozyme layer was about 45 A, which is consistent with the dimensions of the protein molecule