Surface characterization of inorganic nanobiomaterials at a molecular scale: Use of vibrational spectroscopies

In this chapter, the possibilities to highlight atomic/molecular details of the surface of biomaterials by IR and Raman analysis of their interaction with molecules in controlled environments are reviewed. For this aim, information on the experimental setups and procedures is also provided, as the use of vibrational spectroscopies in such conditions is rather new in the field of biomaterials. Particular attention has been devoted to the use of probe molecules. Such molecules can be quite different from those in interaction with biomaterials in actual functional conditions, but, when adsorbed in controlled conditions, become useful “molecular tools”, because of the sensitivity of their vibrational features to the physical-chemical properties of surface sites.