Atomistic modeling of peptide adsorption on rutile (100) in the presence of water and of contamination by low molecular weight alcohols.

Previous models for the interface between titanium implants and biosystems take into account the oxide passivation layer and the hydroxylation, but omit the hydrocarbon contamination on air-exposed samples. The authors develop a consistent model for the contamination of the rutile (100) surface by small alcohols, which are known to be present in ambient atmosphere, and use this approach in molecular dynamics calculations. Contact angle evaluation reveals that hydrophobic surfaces can be generated. During molecular dynamics simulations with three peptides (RPRGFGMSRERQ, WFCLLGCDAGCW, and RKLPDA), polar side chains penetrate the hydrocarbons and become immobilized on the titanium dioxide. In the carbon layer, the peptide recognizes a hydrophobic environment, which was not present on the clean surface, and the authors attribute changes in the secondary structure in one case to this interaction. The authors further include the popular Matsui-Akaogi approach [M. Matsui and M. Akaogi, Mol. Simul. 6, 239 (1991)] into the frame of the AMBER force field and quote van der Waals parameters for fitting the original Buckingham part. With the new potential, the authors evaluated lattice parameters, thermal fluctuation, and bulk modulus. Translational diffusion coefficients and dipole autocorrelation functions of water on the surface are discussed in relation to surface properties, and it is shown that the water layers are more rigid than on earlier titanium dioxide models, and that contacts between peptide and surface are less direct.