Premium
Ethylene oxide and propylene oxide random copolymer/sodium chloride aqueous two‐phase systems: Wetting and adsorption on dodecyl–agarose and polystyrene
Author(s) -
Huang Yingqing,
Forciniti Daniel
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
biotechnology and bioengineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.136
H-Index - 189
eISSN - 1097-0290
pISSN - 0006-3592
DOI - 10.1002/bit.10169
Subject(s) - ethylene oxide , polystyrene , propylene oxide , aqueous solution , wetting , copolymer , adsorption , contact angle , chemical engineering , polymer , agarose , chemistry , phase (matter) , materials science , polymer chemistry , chromatography , organic chemistry , engineering
Abstract Liquid/liquid partition chromatography is a mild yet powerful separation method for a variety of biological materials. This work demonstrates that it should be feasible to immobilize an ethylene oxide–propylene oxide (EO/PO) random copolymer solution and to use a solution of NaCl equilibrated against the polymer solution as the mobile‐phase (poly (EO–PO) [P(EO–PO)] and NaCl form two aqueous phases known as aqueous two‐phase systems). Three random copolymers with different molecular weights and EO/PO ratios were used. Dodecyl–agarose and polystyrene were tested as possible supports. The wetting energies of the aqueous two‐phase systems on these two kinds of surfaces were calculated as well as contact angles for each phase on the same surfaces. Finally, the thickness of P(EO–PO) adsorption layers on polystyrene lattices were measured by dynamic light scattering. Contact angle measurements indicate that indeed some EO/PO copolymers preferentially wet hydrophobic substrates, forming thin films. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 77: 786–795, 2002; DOI 10.1002/bit.10169