▎ 摘　　要

Graphene oxide and its derivatives have attracted great interest in the biomaterials field due to their biocompatibility and affinity to interact with several biomolecules. Here, we used keratin obtained from chicken feathers to investigate the covalent and non-covalent interactions of this molecule onto the graphitic layers, characterized by different spectroscopic techniques. Only our group have developed some studies related to this particular system. The results show that even when keratin fully covers the graphitic materials as seen by TEM and HRTEM, the carbon sheets hold their shape even after pH modification according to titration curves. To explore whether keratin grafting could improve biocompatibility in graphitic materials, their ability to support microbial cell adherence and growth was herein analyzed. Our results showed that keratin grafting greatly enhanced the adherence of Escherichia coli cells onto graphitic films, thus encouraging the development of further research toward biotechnological applications, such as novel supports for microbial fuel cells. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.