Effects of ammonium sulfate and sodium chloride concentration on PEG/protein liquid-liquid phase separation

When added to protein solutions, poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) creates an effective attraction between protein molecules due to depletion forces. This effect has been widely used to crystallize proteins, and PEG is among the most successful crystallization agents in current use. However, PEG is almost always used in combination with a salt at either low or relatively high concentrations. Here the effects of sodium chloride and ammonium sulfate concentration on PEG 8000/ovalbumin liquid-liquid (L-L) phase separation are investigated. At low salt the L-L phase separation occurs at decreasing protein concentration with increasing salt concentration, presumably due to repulsive electrostatic interactions between proteins. At high salt concentration, the behavior depends on the nature of the salt. Sodium chloride has little effect on the L-L phase separation, but ammonium sulfate decreases the protein concentration at which the L-L phase separation occurs. This trend is attributed to the effects of critical fluctuations on depletion forces. The implications of these results for designing solution conditions optimal for protein crystallization are discussed.     

Influence of poly(ethylene glycol) molecular mass on separation and ordering in solutions of CiEj nonionic surfactants: depletion interactions and steric effects

We study ternary mixtures of nonionic surfactants C(i)E(j) (i = 12; j = 5, 6, 8) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) in water. For sufficiently large molecular mass of PEG (M >M(sep) approximately 600), we observe a lowering of phase separation temperature with an increase in polymer concentration. The value of M(sep) is consistent with the analysis based on depletion interactions between micelles induced by polymer chains. We also demonstrate that there is another critical molecular mass of PEG (M = M* approximately 2000) necessary to induce ordering in the surfactant-rich phase. This critical molecular mass follows from two requirements: (a) PEG has to reduce the separation temperature below a temperature of hexagonal-isotropic phase transition in a binary surfactant-water mixture and (b) the PEG radius of gyration has to be larger than the size of the water channels in the hexagonal phase.     

A Modified Local Composition-Based Model for Correlating the Vapor-Liquid and Liquid-Liquid Phase Equilibria of Aqueous Polymer-Salt Systems

In this research, a new local composition model has been proposed to study the vapor-liquid and liquid-liquid phase equilibria of polyelectrolyte solutions. The proposed model has been used in order to obtain the activity of water in polyethylene glycol (PEG) and polypropylene glycol (PPG) solutions. The interaction parameters introduced into the proposed model have been reported. The interaction parameters between the salt and water molecule have been estimated using the experimental mean ionic activity coefficients of aqueous electrolytes studied in this work. Also, the interaction parameters between the polymer and salt molecule, and the polymer and water molecule have been computed using the experimental activity of water data in aqueous polymer solutions. The results showed that the proposed model, segment-based Wilson and segment-based NRTL models have good accuracy in correlating the vapor-liquid phase equilibria of the water-polymer and water-polymer-salt systems. Also, the liquid-liquid phase behavior of the polymer-salt aqueous two-phase systems has been correlated using the proposed model. The results show that the proposed model can more accurately correlate the phase behavior of aqueous two-phase systems than the UNIQUAC and the modified Wilson models.     

Insight into the interactions that control the phase behaviour of new aqueous biphasic systems composed of polyethylene glycol polymers and ionic liquids

New polyethylene glycol (PEG)/ionic liquid aqueous biphasic systems (ABS) are presented. Distinct pairs of PEG polymers and ionic liquids can induce phase separation in aqueous media when dissolved at appropriate concentrations. Phase diagrams have been determined for a large array of systems at 298, 308 and 323 K. A comparison of the binodal curves allowed the analysis of the tunable structural features of the ionic liquid (i.e., anionic nature, cationic core, cationic alkyl side chain length and functionalisation, and number of alkyl substituents in the cation) and the influence of the molecular weight of the PEG polymer on the ability of these solutes to induce an ABS. It was observed that contrary to typical ABS based on ionic liquids and inorganic salts, in which the phase behaviour is dominated by the formation of the hydration complexes of the ions, the interactions between the PEG polymers and ionic liquids control the phase demixing in the polymer-type ABS studied herein. It is shown that both the ionic liquids and PEG polymers can act as the salting-out species; that is, it is an occurrence that is dependent on the structural features of the ionic liquid. For the first time, PEG/ionic liquid ABS are reported and insight into the major interactions that govern the polymer/ionic liquid phase behaviour in aqueous media are provided. The use of two different nonvolatile and tunable species (i.e., ionic liquids and PEG polymers) to form ABS allows the polarities of the phases to be tailored. Hence, the development of environmentally friendly separation processes that make use of these novel systems is envisaged.     

室温离子液体混合物的相平衡研究进展

室温离子液体混合物的相平衡数据是设计和优化涉及离子液体的化学反应与分离工程的重要基础。本文综述了近年来室温离子液体混合物,特别是室温离子液体＋有机物体系的气－液平衡、液－液平衡和固－液平衡的研究进展,总结了这些混合物相行为的基本热力学规律以及对萃取分离工程的指导作用。     

Phase diagram for a model of urate oxidase

Urate oxidase from Asperigillus flavus has been shown to be a model protein for studying the effects of polyethylene glycol (PEG) on the crystallization of large proteins. Extensive experimental studies based on small angle x-ray scattering [Vivares and Bonnete, J. Phys. Chem. B 108, 6498 (2004)] have determined the effects of salt, pH, temperature, and most importantly PEG on the crystallization of this protein. Recently, some aspects of the phase diagram have also been determined experimentally. In this paper, we use Monte Carlo techniques to predict the phase diagram for urate oxidase in solution with PEG, including the liquid-liquid and liquid-solid coexistence curves. The model used includes an electrostatic interaction, van der Waals attraction, and a polymer-induced depletion interaction [Vivares et al., Eur. Phys. J. E 9, 15 (2002)]. Results from the simulation are compared with experimental results.     

Comparison between protein-polyethylene glycol (PEG) interactions and the effect of PEG on protein-protein interactions using the liquid-liquid phase transition

Phase transitions of protein aqueous solutions are important for protein crystallization and biomaterials science in general. One source of thermodynamic complexity in protein solutions and their phase transitions is the required presence of additives such as polyethylene glycol (PEG). To investigate the effects of PEG on the thermodynamic behavior of protein solutions, we report measurements on the liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) of aqueous bovine serum albumin (BSA) in the presence of relatively small amounts of PEG with an average molecular weight of 1450 g/mol (PEG1450) as a model system. We experimentally characterize two thermodynamically independent properties of the phase boundary: (1) the effect of PEG1450 concentration on the LLPS temperature, (2) BSA/PEG1450 partitioning in the two liquid coexisting phases. We then use a thermodynamic perturbation theory to relate the first property to the effect of PEG concentration on protein-protein interactions and the second property to protein-PEG interactions. As criteria to determine the accuracy of a microscopic model, we examine the model's ability to describe both experimental thermodynamic properties. We believe that the parallel examination of these two properties is a valuable tool for verifying the validity of existing models and for developing more accurate ones. For our system, we have found that a depletion-interaction model satisfactorily explains both protein-PEG interactions and the effect of PEG concentration on protein-protein interactions. Finally, due to the general importance of LLPS, we will experimentally show that protein-PEG-buffer mixtures can exhibit two distinct types of liquid-liquid phase transitions.     

Self-assembly of medium-chain alkyl monoglucosides in ammonium sulfate solutions with poly(ethylene glycol)

We study the phase behavior and microstructure of alkyl-beta-monoglucosides with intermediate chain lengths (octyl- and nonyl-beta-glucoside) in aqueous solutions containing ammonium sulfate and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). When the glucoside surfactants are mixed with PEG of molecular weight 3350 or larger, two different phase transitions are observed in the temperature range 0-100 degrees C, with lower and upper miscibility gaps separated by a one-phase isotropic region. Isothermal titration calorimetry is used to quantify the effect of PEG on the micellization properties of the alkyl monoglucosides, whereas small-angle neutron scattering gives insight into the microstructure of the surfactant/polymer mixtures near the liquid-liquid phase boundary. Results show that the range and the strength of the interactions in these solutions are highly affected by the presence of PEG. Solutions with nonyl-beta-glucoside contain larger micelles than those with octyl-beta-glucoside, and the intermicellar interactions are much stronger and longer ranged. The relevance of these findings for membrane protein crystallization is discussed.     

Membrane formation by isothermal precipitation in polyamide-formic acid-water systems I. Description of membrane morphology

Aliphatic polyamides (Nylon-66 and a Nylon-6, -66, -610 terpolymer) were isothermally precipitated from formic acid solution by immersing in an aqueous nonsolvent bath or a solvent/nonsolvent mixture. Depending on the composition of the polymer solution and nonsolvent bath, phase separation by nucleation and growth can be initiated for a liquid-liquid phase separation process, a crystallization process or a combined process. Under certain conditions, crystallization of Nylon-66 results in a membrane with a uniform skinless microporous structure that was rapidly wetted by water. In contrast, liquid-liquid phase separation produces a polyamide film with largely unconnected cellular voids that is as a result not wetted by water. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Artificial multiple criticality and phase equilibria: an investigation of the PC-SAFT approach

The perturbed-chain statistical associating fluid theory (PC-SAFT) is studied for a wide range of temperature, T, pressure, p, and (effective) chain length, m, to establish the generic phase diagram of polymers according to this theory. In addition to the expected gas-liquid coexistence, two additional phase separations are found, termed "gas-gas" equilibrium (at very low densities) and "liquid-liquid" equilibrium (at densities where the system is expected to be solid already). These phase separations imply that in one-component polymer systems three critical points occur, as well as equilibria of three fluid phases at triple points. However, Monte Carlo simulations of the corresponding system yield no trace of the gas-gas and liquid-liquid equilibria, and we conclude that the latter are just artefacts of the PC-SAFT approach. Using PC-SAFT to correlate data for polybutadiene melts, we suggest that discrepancies in modelling the polymer density at ambient temperature and high pressure can be related to the presumably artificial liquid-liquid phase separation at lower temperatures. Thus, particular care is needed in engineering applications of the PC-SAFT theory that aims at predicting properties of macromolecular materials.     

Phase behavior of aqueous solutions containing dipolar proteins from second-order perturbation theory

Due to the interplay of Coulombic repulsion and attractive dipolar and van der Waals interactions, solutions of globular proteins display a rich variety of phase behavior featuring fluid-fluid and fluid-solid transitions that strongly depend on solution pH and salt concentration. Using a simple model for charge, dispersion and dipole-related contributions to the interprotein potential, we calculate phase diagrams for protein solutions within the framework of second-order perturbation theory. For each phase, we determine the Helmholtz energy as the sum of a hard-sphere reference term and a perturbation term that reflects both the electrostatic and dispersion interactions. Dipolar effects can induce fluid-fluid phase separation or crystallization even in the absence of any significant dispersion attraction. Because dissolved electrolytes screen the charge-charge repulsion more strongly than the dipolar attraction, the ionic strength dependence of the potential of mean force can feature a minimum at intermediate ionic strengths offering an explanation for the observed nonmonotonic dependence of the phase behavior on salt concentration. Inclusion of correlations between charge-dipole and dipole-dipole interactions is essential for a reliable calculation of phase diagrams for systems containing charged dipolar proteins and colloids.     

EFFECT OF DILUENTS ON CRYSTALLIZATION OF POLY(VINYLIDENE FLUORIDE) AND PHASE SEPARATED STRUCTURE IN A TERNARY SYSTEM via THERMALLY INDUCED PHASE SEPARATION

The phase diagram of a ternary system of PVDF,dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) was determined in terms of a pseudo binary system with the same polymer concentration and different DBP content in diluent mixture.The experimental results showed that as the DBP content increased in diluent mixture,the phase separation changed from liquid-liquid phase separation to solid-liquid phase separation,and both the cloudy point for L-L phase separation and crystallization temperature shif...     

Fractional crystallization behavior of PCL and PEG in blends

The crystallization behavior of poly(e-caprolactone)/poly(ethylene glycol) (PCL/PEG) blend was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarized microscopy (POM). Individual phase transition peaks in the DSC curves for both PEG and PCL in all the polymer blends with different PCL contents were observed. The crystallization and melting peak temperatures of PEG were at 41 and 65°C, respectively; while the crystallization and melting temperatures of PCL located at 28 and 56°C, respectively. In-situ POM results demonstrated that spherulites crystalline morphology was formed for both PCL and PEG homopolymers. In PEG/PCL blend, however, both the phase separation morphology and spherulitic morphology can be observed. In blends with 30 or 50 wt % PCL, the PCL component formed dispersed phase and crystallized at lower temperature. However, in blends with 70% PCL, the phase inversion behavior occurred. The continuous PCL phase crystallized at 35°C, while the PEG dispersed phase crystallized at a lower temperature. Fractional crystallization behavior of PEG and PCL was controlled by temperature. The spherulites growth rate of PEG was greatly influenced by temperature, instead of the content of PCL component in the PCL/PEG blends.     

Sol-Gel Processing by Aging and Pore Creator Addition for Porous Silica Antireflective Coatings

An antireflective film produced by incorporation of polyethylene glycol (PEG) in the sol is compared to one produced using an aged sol. Incorporation of organic polymer in the precursor solution is a more effective method of increasing the porosity of films and transmittance of the glass substrate. Combination of aging and PEG addition increases the potential for the creation of uniformly porous structures. Aging at high oxide concentration enhances condensation and forms large silica particles containing continuous isolated silanol sites which favor PEG adsorption via hydrogen bonding. Film morphology is affected by phase separation in both the sol and during drying of film. Coating uniformity was improved by minimising phase separation during drying. This was achieved by increasing PEG adsorption by silica sol. Using this technique, coated glass with maximum transmittance of 99.7% can be produced by a simple single step coating.     

Effect of magnetic field on phase transitions in solutions and melts of flexible polymers

The effect of the magnetic field on the phase diagrams of flexible-chain polymer–solvent systems is observed for the first time. Phase transitions in systems with the crystalline-phase separation (PE–o-xylene, PE–n-hexane, PE–chloroform, PE–o-dichlorobenzene, PEG–1,4-dioxane, PEG–toluene) and the amorphous demixing (PS–methyl acetate, PVA–ethanol, PDMS–butanone) are studied. The magnetic field increases the temperatures of crystallization of PE and PEG from solutions and melts but has no effect on phase transitions in PS, PVA, and PDMS solutions. The structures of polymer entities isolated from solutions and melts are studied. Under application of the magnetic field to PEG solutions, spherulites of substantially smaller sizes than those formed outside the field appear. The magnetic field increases the degree of crystallinity of PEG, but the degree of crystallinity and size of PE spherulites remain unchanged.     

Polymorphism in simple liquids: a Gibbs ensemble Monte Carlo study

We perform Gibbs ensemble Monte Carlo (GEMC) simulations of a one-component system of hard spheres with a repulsive shoulder and an attractive well. We show the existence of two distinct liquid-gas and liquid-liquid phase equilibria. The GEMC estimate of the critical parameters, as following from an interpolation of the binodal points, is only slightly influenced by finite size effects. The liquid-gas critical temperature and pressure are lower than those of the liquid-liquid phase separation. A discussion of our findings in comparison with those of previous numerical studies is also presented.     

热致相分离法偏二氯乙烯-氯乙烯共聚物多孔膜的制备及性能

以偏二氯乙烯-氯乙烯共聚物[P(VDC-co-VC)]为成膜聚合物, 邻苯二甲酸二甲酯(DMP)为稀释剂, 采用热致相分离(TIPS)法制备了具有多孔结构的P(VDC-co-VC)膜. 通过聚合物-稀释剂二元体系相图、 场发射扫描电镜(FESEM)、 差示扫描量热仪(DSC)、 X射线衍射(XRD)、 原子力显微镜(AFM)、 纯水通量、 接触角、 孔径及其分布、 截留率及力学性能等研究了聚合物含量对P(VDC-co-VC)多孔膜结构和性能的影响. 结果表明, P(VDC-co-VC)-DMP二元体系成膜过程以液-液(L-L)分相为主, 随着聚合物含量增加, 膜的横截面由类花瓣状结构向胞腔状结构转变, 膜的孔连通性降低, 结构变得较为致密, 同时膜上表面孔隙率降低, 粗糙度增大. L-L分相时间和聚合物含量的变化, 导致膜结晶度先降低后增大. 聚合物含量的增加使膜上表面接触角、 断裂强度及蛋白截留率增加, 但膜的平均孔径、 孔隙率及纯水通量先增加后减小. 当聚合物质量分数为30%时, 所得膜通透性较优, 断裂强度可达7.5 MPa.     

Phase separation of ploy(ethylene glycol) + n-butanol mixture induced by supercritical CO_2

The phase behavior of supercritical (SC) CO2 PEG 1000 (PEG with average molecular weight of 1000 g/mol) n-butanol system was studied. It was demonstrated that SC CO2 could induce phase separation of PEG 1000 n-butanol system under suitable conditions. This hints that SC CO2 has potential applications in the separation of mixtures of PEG organic compound.     

PREPARATION OF MICROPOROUS ULTRA HIGH MOLECULAR WEIGHT POLYETHYLENE (UHMWPE) BY THERMALLY INDUCED PHASE SEPARATION OF A UHMWPE/LIQUID PARAFFIN MIXTURE

Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) with a microporous structure was prepared via thermally induced phase separation (TIPS).Liquid paraffin (LP) was used as a diluent in the preparation of microporous UHMWPE. Small angle laser light scattering (SALLS) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used to determine the phase separation temperatures,i.e.the cloud points and the dynamic crystallization temperatures,respectively.It was found that the cloudI points were coincident with the cr...