**2.2.2 Adhesion of a single colloid layer**

Polycation-conditioned substrates were placed horizontally into wells of another culture plate. 1 ml of a suspension of the desired concentration, pH and ionic strength was poured into the wells and left in contact with the substrate for at least 3 h (Figure 1c). Unless stated otherwise, the procedure used for rinsing and drying the samples was performed as follows: rinsing 3 times with water and 3 times with isopropanol and drying overnight in air. The samples were rinsed by successive dilutions as detailed in the preceding paragraph. After the last rinsing, as much as possible of the solution was removed with a pipette.
