Segregation in mixed protein layers

Calculations from SCF theory of the mixed layer structure, and of the interaction potential for a pair of mixed layers as a function of interlayer separation, suggest that the mixed layer has a heterogeneous morphology perpendicular to die interface (Parkinson et al., 2005). This localized segregation arises from the excluded volume interaction between spaced-out casein chains and the dense brush-like layer that was invoked in the simple SCF model to represent the p-lactoglobulin adsorbed monolayer. 

The full implications of segregation of components in mixed protein layers are as yet not fully understood. To address the problem properly, it would seem that some further fundamental research on the nanoscience of mixed protein layers is required (Dickinson, 2004 Damodaran, 2004). 

---