Selection and characterization of peptides binding to diamond-like carbon

Phage display was used to find peptides specific for amorphous diamond-like carbon (DLC). A set of putative binders was analyzed in detail and one sequence was found that functioned both as a peptide fused to the pIII protein in M13 phage and as a peptide fused to the enzyme alkaline phosphatase (AP). The dissociation constant of the peptide–AP fusion on DLC was 63 nM and the maximum binding capacity was 6.8 pmol/cm². Multiple ways of analysis, including phage titer, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and ellipsometry were used to analyze binding and to exclude possible false positive results. DLC binding peptides can be useful for self-assembling coatings for modifying DLC in specific ways.