Phase separation rates of aqueous two-phase systems: correlation with system properties

Exploring the potential of all-aqueous immiscible systems for preparing complex biomaterials and cellular constructs

All-aqueous immiscible systems derived from liquid-liquid phase separation of incompatible hydrophilic agents such as polymers and salts have found increasing interest in the biomedical and tissue engineering fields in the last few years. The unique characteristics of aqueous interfaces, namely their low interfacial tension and elevated permeability, as well as the non-toxic environment and high water content of the immiscible phases, confer to these systems optimal qualities for the development of biomaterials such as hydrogels and soft membranes, as well as for the preparation of in vitro tissues derived from cellular assembly. Here, we overview the main properties of these systems and present a critical review of recent strategies that have been used for the development of biomaterials with increased levels of complexity using all-aqueous immiscible phases and interfaces, and their potential as cell-confining environments for micropatterning approaches and the bioengineering of cell-rich structures. Importantly, due to the relatively recent emergence of these areas, several key design considerations are presented, in order to guide researchers in the field. Finally, the main present challenges, future directions, and adaptability to develop advanced materials with increased biomimicry and new potential applications are briefly evaluated.

Thermodynamically controlled multiphase separation of heterogeneous liquid crystal colloids

Phase separation is a universal physical transition process whereby a homogeneous mixture splits into two distinct compartments that are driven by the component activity, elasticity, or compositions. In the current work, we develop a series of heterogeneous colloidal suspensions that exhibit both liquid-liquid phase separation of semiflexible binary polymers and liquid crystal phase separation of rigid, rod-like nanocellulose particles. The phase behavior of the multicomponent mixture is controlled by the trade-off between thermodynamics and kinetics during the two transition processes, displaying cholesteric self-assembly of nanocellulose within or across the compartmented aqueous phases. Upon thermodynamic control, two-, three-, and four-phase coexistence behaviors with rich liquid crystal stackings are realized. Among which, each relevant multiphase separation kinetics shows fundamentally different paths governed by nucleation and growth of polymer droplets and nanocellulose tactoids. Furthermore, a coupled multiphase transition can be realized by tuning the composition and the equilibrium temperature, which results in thermotropic behavior of polymers within a lyotropic liquid crystal matrix. Finally, upon drying, the multicomponent mixture undergoes a hierarchical self-assembly of nanocellulose and polymers into stratified cholesteric films, exhibiting compartmentalized polymer distribution and anisotropic microporous structure.

Recent progress in the synthesis of all-aqueous two-phase droplets using microfluidic approaches

An aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) is a system with liquid-liquid phase separation and shows great potential for the extraction, separation, purification, and enrichment of proteins, membranes, viruses, enzymes, nucleic acids, and other biomolecules because of its simplicity, biocompatibility, and wide applicability [1-4]. The clear aqueous-aqueous interface of ATPSs is highly advantageous for their implementation, therefore making ATPSs a green alternative approach to replace conventional emulsion systems, such as water-in-oil droplets. All aqueous emulsions (water-in-water, w-in-w) hold great promise in the biomedical field as glucose sensors [5] and promising carriers for the encapsulation and release of various biomolecules and nonbiomolecules [6-10]. However, the ultralow interfacial tension between the two phases is a hurdle in generating w-in-w emulsion droplets. In the past, bulk emulsification and electrospray techniques were employed for the generation of w-in-w emulsion droplets and the fabrication of microparticles and microcapsules in the later stage. Bulk emulsification is a simple and low-cost technique; however, it generates polydisperse w-in-w emulsion droplets. Another technique, electrospray, involves easy experimental setups that can generate monodisperse but nonspherical w-in-w emulsion droplets. In comparison, microfluidic platforms provide monodisperse w-in-w emulsion droplets with spherical shapes, deal with the small volumes of solutions and short reaction times and achieve portability and versatility in their design through rapid prototyping. Owing to several advantages, microfluidic approaches have recently been introduced. To date, several different strategies have been explored to generate w-in-w emulsions and multiple w-in-w emulsions and to fabricate microparticles and microcapsules using conventional microfluidic devices. Although a few review articles on ATPSs emulsions have been published in the past, to date, few reviews have exclusively focused on the evolution of microfluidic-based ATPS droplets. The present review begins with a brief discussion of the history of ATPSs and their fundamentals, which is followed by an account chronicling the integration of microfluidic devices with ATPSs to generate w-in-w emulsion droplets. Furthermore, the stabilization strategies of w-in-w emulsion droplets and microfluidic fabrication of microparticles and microcapsules for modern applications, such as biomolecule encapsulation and spheroid construction, are discussed in detail in this review. We believe that the present review will provide useful information to not only new entrants in the microfluidic community wanting to appreciate the findings of the field but also existing researchers wanting to keep themselves updated on progress in the field.

A novel method for liquid-phase extraction of cell-free DNA for detection of circulating tumor DNA

Low yields of extracted cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from plasma limit continued development of liquid biopsy in cancer, especially in early-stage cancer diagnostics and cancer screening applications. We investigate a novel liquid-phase-based DNA isolation method that utilizes aqueous two-phase systems to purify and concentrate circulating cfDNA. The PHASIFY MAX and PHASIFY ENRICH kits were compared to a commonly employed solid-phase extraction method on their ability to extract cfDNA from a set of 91 frozen plasma samples from cancer patients. Droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) was used as the downstream diagnostic to detect mutant copies. Compared to the QIAamp Circulating Nucleic Acid (QCNA) kit, the PHASIFY MAX method demonstrated 60% increase in DNA yield and 171% increase in mutant copy recovery, and the PHASIFY ENRICH kit demonstrated a 35% decrease in DNA yield with a 153% increase in mutant copy recovery. A follow-up study with PHASIFY ENRICH resulted in the positive conversion of 9 out of 47 plasma samples previously determined negative with QCNA extraction (all with known positive tissue genotyping). Our results indicate that this novel extraction technique offers higher cfDNA recovery resulting in better sensitivity for detection of cfDNA mutations compared to a commonly used solid-phase extraction method.

Emerging Biotechnology Applications of Aqueous Two-Phase Systems

Liquid-liquid phase separation between aqueous solutions containing two incompatible polymers, a polymer and a salt, or a polymer and a surfactant, has been exploited for a wide variety of biotechnology applications throughout the years. While many applications for aqueous two-phase systems fall within the realm of separation science, the ability to partition many different materials within these systems, coupled with recent advances in materials science and liquid handling, has allowed bioengineers to imagine new applications. This progress report provides an overview of the history and key properties of aqueous two-phase systems to lend context to how these materials have progressed to modern applications such as cellular micropatterning and bioprinting, high-throughput 3D tissue assembly, microscale biomolecular assay development, facilitation of cell separation and microcapsule production using microfluidic devices, and synthetic biology. Future directions and present limitations and design considerations of this adaptable and promising toolkit for biomolecule and cellular manipulation are further evaluated.

A microdevice assisted approach for the preparation, characterization and selection of continuous aqueous two-phase systems: from micro to bench-scale

Aqueous two-phase systems (ATPS) have emerged as an alternative strategy for the recovery and purification of a wide variety of biological products. Typical process development requires a large screening of experimental conditions towards industrial adoption where continuous processes are preferred. In this work, it was proved that under certain flow conditions, ATPS could be formed continuously inside a microchannel, starting from stocks of phase components. Staggered herringbone chaotic micromixers included within the device sequentially and rapidly prepare two-phase systems across an entire range of useful phase compositions. Two-phase diagrams (binodal curves) were easily plotted using the cloud-point method for systems of different components and compared with previously reported curves for each system, proving that phase formation inside the device correlated with the previously reported diagrams. A proof of concept for sample partitioning in such a microdevice was performed with two different experimental models: BSA and red blood cells. Finally, the microdevice was employed to obtain information about the recovery and partition coefficient of invertase from a real complex mixture of proteins (yeast extract) to design a process for the recovery of the enzyme selecting a suitable system and composition to perform the process at bench-scale.

Phase Separation Behavior and System Properties of Aqueous Two-Phase Systems with Polyethylene Glycol and Different Salts: Experiment and Correlation

The phase separation behaviors of PEG1000/sodium citrate, PEG4000/sodium citrate, PEG1000/ammonium sulfate, and PEG4000/ammonium sulfate aqueous two-phase systems were investigated, respectively. There are two distinct situations for the phase separation rate in the investigated aqueous two-phase systems: one state is top-continuous phase with slow phase separation rate and strong bottom-continuous phase with fast phase separation rate and weak volume ratio dependence. The system properties such as density, viscosity, and interfacial tension between top and bottom phases which have effects on the phase separation rate of aqueous two-phase systems were measured. The property parameter differences between the two phases increased with increasing tie line length and then improved the phase separation rate. Moreover, a modified correlation equation including the phase separation rate, tie line length, and physical properties of the four aqueous two-phase systems has been proposed and successfully tested in the bottom-continuous phase, whose coefficients were estimated through regression analysis. The predicted results of PEG1000/sodium citrate aqueous two-phase systems were verified through the stationary phase retention in the cross-axis countercurrent chromatography.

Tunable aqueous polymer-phase impregnated resins-technology-a novel approach to aqueous two-phase extraction

Aqueous Two-Phase Extraction (ATPE) represents a promising unit operation for downstream processing of biotechnological products. The technique provides several advantages such as a biocompatible environment for the extraction of sensitive and biologically active compounds. However, the tendency of some aqueous two-phase systems to form intensive and stable emulsions can lead to long phase separation times causing an increased footprint for the required mixer-settler devices or the need for additional equipment such as centrifuges. In this work, a novel approach to improve ATPE for downstream processing applications called 'Tunable Aqueous Polymer-Phase Impregnated Resins' (TAPPIR(®))-Technology is presented. The technology is based on the immobilization of one aqueous phase inside the pores of a solid support. The second aqueous phase forms the bulk liquid around the impregnated solids. Due to the immobilization of one phase, phase emulsification and phase separation of ATPE are realized in a single step. In this study, a biodegradable and sustainable aqueous two-phase system consisting of aqueous polyethylene glycol/sodiumcitrate solutions was chosen. The impregnation of different macroporous glass and ceramic solids was investigated and could be proven to be stable. Additionally, the separation of the dye Patent blue V was successfully performed with the TAPPIR(®)-Technology. Thus, the "proof of principle" of this technology is presented.

Aqueous two-phase systems for protein separation: a perspective

Aqueous two-phase systems (ATPS) that are formed by mixing a polymer (usually polyethylene glycol, PEG) and a salt (e.g. phosphate, sulphate or citrate) or two polymers and water can be effectively used for the separation and purification of proteins. The partitioning between both phases is dependent on the surface properties of the proteins and on the properties of the two phase system. The mechanism of partitioning is complex and not very easy to predict but, as this review paper shows, some very clear trends can be established. Hydrophobicity is the main determinant in the partitioning of proteins and can be measured in many different ways. The two methods that are more attractive, depending on the ATPS used (PEG/salt, PEG/polymer), are those that consider the 3-D structure and the hydrophobicity of AA on the surface and the one based on precipitation with ammonium sulphate (parameter 1/m*). The effect of charge has a relatively small effect on the partitioning of proteins in PEG/salt systems but is more important in PEG/dextran systems. Protein concentration has an important effect on the partitioning of proteins in ATPS. This depends on the higher levels of solubility of the protein in each of the phases and hence the partitioning observed at low protein concentrations can be very different to that observed at high concentrations. In virtually all cases the partition coefficient is constant at low protein concentration (true partitioning) and changes to a different constant value at a high overall protein concentration. Furthermore, true partitioning behavior, which is independent of the protein concentration, only occurs at relatively low protein concentration. As the concentration of a protein exceeds relatively low values, precipitation at the interface and in suspension can be observed. This protein precipitate is in equilibrium with the protein solubilized in each of the phases. Regarding the effect of protein molecular weight, no clear trend of the effect on partitioning has been found, apart from PEG/dextran systems where proteins with higher molecular weights partitioned more readily to the bottom phase. Bioaffinity has been shown in many cases to have an important effect on the partitioning of proteins. The practical application of ATPS has been demonstrated in many cases including a number of industrial applications with excellent levels of purity and yield. This separation and purification has also been successfully used for the separation of virus and virus-like particles.