*2.5. Topography of Coating*

The topography analysis of the pDA- and AMP-conjugated pDA coatings was performed with a Bruker Icon Atomic Force Microscope (Bruker UK Ltd., Coventry, UK). A silicone probe was passed over the surface of the coatings and its displacement was recorded. This generated a three-dimensional plot of the surface topography. In this research, images were recorded in static mode over a 20 μm × 20 μm area. Ellipsometry was performed on a Jobin-Yvon UVISEL ellipsometer (HORIBA UK Ltd., Northampton, UK) with a xenon light source. First, the light reflection of the uncoated surface of the sample was measured to set the measurement baseline, then the height of the coated surface was measured relative to the baseline.
