Experimental and theoretical tools to elucidate the binding mechanisms of solid-binding peptides

The interactions between biomolecules and solid surfaces play an important role in designing new materials and applications which mimic nature. Recently, solid-binding peptides (SBPs) have emerged as potential molecular building blocks in nanobiotechnology. SBPs exhibit high selectivity and binding affinity towards a wide range of inorganic and organic materials. Although these peptides have been widely used in various applications, there is a need to understand the interaction mechanism between the peptide and its material substrate, which is challenging both experimentally and theoretically. This review describes the main characterisation techniques currently available to study SBP-surface interactions and their contribution to gain a better insight for designing new peptides for tailored binding.