This article summarises the knowledge on irreversible deposition processes of large molecules or colloidal particles on solid surfaces. Tools such as available surface function and the fluctuations of the niimber of particles adsorbed per unit area are first introduced. The main models developed to account for these phenomena are reviewed: the Random Sequential Adsorption (RSA) and the Ballistic Deposition models. as well as models accounting explicitly for the diffusion of the particles in the vicinity of the adsorption plane. The last part is devoted to experimental results. It is shown. in particular. that the Langmuir model, often used to account for the protein adsorption kinetics, does not predict correctly the experimental observations.
Evidences in favour of the RSA and ballistic models are discussed in a critical way.