Engineers explore protein self-assembly as improved coating process Fouling is a natural phenomenon that describes the tendency of proteins in water to adhere to nearby surfaces. It’s what causes unwanted deposits of protein to form during some food production or on biomedical implants, causing them to fail. Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are harnessing this process, which is typically considered a persistent challenge, to develop a versatile and accessible approach for modifying solid surfaces. “The goal of this work is to develop a method that is tolerant of pretty much any material and geometry by which we can modify surfaces that are normally hard to modify,” said R. Helen Zha, an assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering and member of the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies (CBIS) at Rensselaer. She is leading this research with the support of a more than $592,000 National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) grant.