Casting Light on Exceptional Biointerfaces

From cell membranes to the sticky tongues of frogs, the natural world is rich with complex biointerfaces. This talk will highlight surface analytical methods developed to determine the structure and organization of biomolecules at these interfaces. With these tools, we will investigate the surface phenomena governing how muscle cells repair plasma membrane damage. The discussion will then expand to recent experiments uncovering the structures of biomolecules that drive wet adhesion in nature. Finally, we will turn to future experiments aimed at understanding the biophysical interactions between microplastics, their physiological environments, and the human tissues they encounter.