Self-reporting materials, i.e., materials that report damage like micro cracks or delamination defects are a promising new concept to monitor the integrity of load-bearing materials. These materials show the user the location of a small scale damage by an easy to detect signal, so that a component can be replaced or repaired before catastrophic failure occurs. Fluorescent proteins can be use as force sensors on the interface between carbon- or glass-fibers and the polymer-resin in fiber-reinforced composite materials. The concept relies on the fact that the fluorescence of fluorescent proteins is closely related to their native structure. Thus, local damage in fiber-reinforced materials causes damage of the proteins on the interface. The fluorescence of proteins is shut off and the location of damage can be visualized by the absence of fluorescence. This is a means to easily detect damage that is barely visible with conventional techniques. Important fields of application for such enhanced fiber-reinforced materials are the aerospace, automotive, and the construction sector. The immobilization process and the covalent attachment of fluorescent proteins and the orientation of the proteins on the surface of fibers plays a crucial role in the  performance of the biological forces sensors. Also, the incorporation of the protein into the surface of the polymer matrix during curing is important. However, little is known about these parameters. Therefore, the formation of a protein-layer on the fiber-surface has to be studied. To simplify analysis, the formation of protein-layers on flat model surfaces (carbon sheets, glass slides) and on the surface of polymer resins will be examined. Methodologies for these experiments will include confocal microscopy, by elipsometry, by immunostaining, atomic force microscopy (AFM), contact angle measurements, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Moreover, the mechanical response of the proteins on the surfaces will be studied by AFM.