The application of electrochemical scanning probe microscopy to the interpretation of metalloprotein voltammetry

An accurate interpretation of metalloprotein voltammetry depends critically on a detailed understanding of the electrode surface and its interactions with surface-active proteins. Representations of the bioelectrochemical int erface as a uniformly electroactive, flat electrode surface, where electron transfer takes place to non surface-interacting proteins, are unrealistic. The development of scanning probe technology allows both these surfaces an d the interactions of biomolecules to be probed with an unprecedented resol ution. In this review, the results of a number of scanning probe studies ar e presented, together with the theoretical implications for more realistic models required in the interpretation of metalloprotein voltammetric experi ments. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.