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Allegri G, Huskens J, Martinho RP, Lindhoud S. Distribution of polyelectrolytes and counterions upon polyelectrolyte complexation. J Colloid Interface Sci 2024; 672:654-663. [PMID: 38865879 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2024.06.062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2024] [Revised: 06/06/2024] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024]
Abstract
HYPOTHESIS Understanding polyelectrolyte complexation remains limited due to the absence of a systematic methodology for analyzing the distribution of components between the polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) and the dilute phases. EXPERIMENTS We developed a methodology based on NMR to quantify all components of solid-like PECs and their supernatant phases formed by mixing different ratios of poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) and poly(acrylic acid)-sodium salt (PAA). This approach allowed for determining relative and absolute concentrations of polyelectrolytes in both phases by 1H NMR studies. Using 23Na and 35Cl NMR spectroscopy we measured the concentration of counterions in both phases. FINDINGS Regardless of the mixing ratio of the polyelectrolytes the PEC is charge-stoichiometric, and any excess polyelectrolytes to achieve charge stoichiometry remains in the supernatant phase. The majority of counterions were found in the supernatant phase, confirming counterion release being a major thermodynamic driving force for PEC formation. The counterion concentrations in the PEC phase were approximately twice as high as in the supernatant phase. The complete mass balance of PEC formation could be determined and translated into a molecular picture. It appears that PAH is fully charged, while PAA is more protonated, so less charged, and some 10% extrinsic PAH-Cl- pairs are present in the complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Allegri
- Molecular Nanofabrication Group, Department for Molecules & Materials, MESA+ Institute & Faculty of Science Technology, University of Twente, 7500 AE Enschede, the Netherlands.
| | - Jurriaan Huskens
- Molecular Nanofabrication Group, Department for Molecules & Materials, MESA+ Institute & Faculty of Science Technology, University of Twente, 7500 AE Enschede, the Netherlands.
| | - Ricardo P Martinho
- Biomolecular Nanotechnology Group, Department for Molecules & Materials, MESA+ Institute & Faculty of Science Technology, University of Twente, 7500 AE Enschede, the Netherlands.
| | - Saskia Lindhoud
- Molecular Nanofabrication Group, Department for Molecules & Materials, MESA+ Institute & Faculty of Science Technology, University of Twente, 7500 AE Enschede, the Netherlands.
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2
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Lalwani S, Hellikson K, Batys P, Lutkenhaus JL. Counter Anion Type Influences the Glass Transition Temperature of Polyelectrolyte Complexes. Macromolecules 2024; 57:4695-4705. [PMID: 38827958 PMCID: PMC11140738 DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.3c02200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2023] [Revised: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
Salt acts as a plasticizer in polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs), which impacts the physical, thermal, and mechanical properties, thus having implications in applications, such as drug delivery, energy storage, and smart coatings. Added salt disrupts polycation-polyanion intrinsic ion pairs, lowering a hydrated PEC's glass transition temperature (Tg). However, the relative influence of counterion type on the PEC's Tg is not well understood. Here, the effect of anion type (NaCl, NaBr, NaNO3, and NaI) on the Tg of solid-like, hydrated PECs composed of poly(diallydimethylammonium) (PDADMA)-poly(styrenesulfonate) (PSS) is investigated. With increasing the chaotropic nature of the salt anion, the Tg decreases. The relative differences are attributed to the doping level, the amount of bound water, the mobility of water molecules within the PECs, and the strength of interactions between the PEs. For all studied salt concentrations and salt types, the Tg followed the scaling of -1/Tg ≈ ln([IP]/[H2O]), in which [IP]/[H2O] is the ratio of intrinsic pairs to water. The scaling estimates that about 7 to 17% of the intrinsic ion pairs should be weakened for the PEC to partake in a glass transition. Put together, this study highlights that the Tg in PECs is impacted by the salt anion, but the mechanism of the glass transition remains unchanged.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suvesh
Manoj Lalwani
- Artie
McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Kayla Hellikson
- Artie
McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Piotr Batys
- Jerzy
Haber Institute of Catalysis and Surface Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Niezapominajek 8, Krakow PL-30239, Poland
| | - Jodie L. Lutkenhaus
- Artie
McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas
A&M University, College Station, Texas 77840, United States
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3
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van Westerveld L, Pelras T, Hofman AH, Loos K, Kamperman M, Es Sayed J. Effect of Polyelectrolyte Charge Density on the Linear Viscoelastic Behavior and Processing of Complex Coacervate Adhesives. Macromolecules 2024; 57:652-663. [PMID: 38283122 PMCID: PMC10810003 DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.3c02352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2024]
Abstract
It is well-known that the phase behavior and physicochemical and adhesive properties of complex coacervates are readily tuneable with the salt concentration of the medium. For toxicity reasons, however, the maximum applicable salt concentration in biomedical applications is typically low. Consequently, other strategies must be implemented in order to optimize the properties of the resulting complex coacervates. In this work, the effect of the charge density of a strong polyanion on the properties of complex coacervates was studied. To control this charge density, statistical anionic/charge-neutral hydrophilic copolymers were synthesized by means of an elegant protection/deprotection strategy and subsequently complexed with a strong polycation. The resulting complexes were observed to have an increasing water content as well as faster relaxation dynamics, with either increasing salt concentration or decreasing charge density. Time-salt and time-salt-charge density superpositions could be performed and showed that the relaxation mechanism of the complex coacervates remained unchanged. When the charge density was decreased, lower salt concentration complexes became suitable for viscoelastic adhesion with improved injectability. Such complex coacervates are promising candidates for injectable biomedical adhesives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Larissa van Westerveld
- Polymer
Science, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh
4, Groningen 9747 AG, The Netherlands
| | - Théophile Pelras
- Polymer
Science, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh
4, Groningen 9747 AG, The Netherlands
- Macromolecular
Chemistry and New Polymeric Materials, Zernike Institute for Advanced
Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, Groningen 9747 AG, The Netherlands
| | - Anton H. Hofman
- Polymer
Science, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh
4, Groningen 9747 AG, The Netherlands
| | - Katja Loos
- Macromolecular
Chemistry and New Polymeric Materials, Zernike Institute for Advanced
Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, Groningen 9747 AG, The Netherlands
| | - Marleen Kamperman
- Polymer
Science, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh
4, Groningen 9747 AG, The Netherlands
| | - Julien Es Sayed
- Polymer
Science, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh
4, Groningen 9747 AG, The Netherlands
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4
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van Lange SGM, te Brake DW, Portale G, Palanisamy A, Sprakel J, van der Gucht J. Moderated ionic bonding for water-free recyclable polyelectrolyte complex materials. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadi3606. [PMID: 38198554 PMCID: PMC10780884 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adi3606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
While nature extensively uses electrostatic bonding between oppositely charged polymers to assemble and stabilize materials, harnessing these interactions in synthetic systems has been challenging. Synthetic materials cross-linked with a high density of ionic bonds, such as polyelectrolyte complexes, only function properly when their charge interactions are attenuated in the presence of ample amounts of water; dehydrating these materials creates such strong Coulombic bonding that they become brittle, non-thermoplastic, and virtually impossible to process. We present a strategy to intrinsically moderate the electrostatic bond strengths in apolar polymeric solids by the covalent grafting of attenuator spacers to the charge carrying moieties. This produces a class of polyelectrolyte materials that have a charge density of 100%, are processable and malleable without requiring water, are highly solvent- and water-resistant, and are fully recyclable. These materials, which we coin "compleximers," marry the properties of thermoplastics and thermosets using tailored ionic bonding alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie G. M. van Lange
- Physical Chemistry and Soft Matter, Wageningen University and Research, 6708 WE Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Diane W. te Brake
- Physical Chemistry and Soft Matter, Wageningen University and Research, 6708 WE Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Giuseppe Portale
- Macromolecular Chemistry and New Polymeric Materials, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, 9747 AG Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Anbazhagan Palanisamy
- Physical Chemistry and Soft Matter, Wageningen University and Research, 6708 WE Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Joris Sprakel
- Laboratory of Biochemistry, Wageningen University and Research, 6708 WE Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Jasper van der Gucht
- Physical Chemistry and Soft Matter, Wageningen University and Research, 6708 WE Wageningen, Netherlands
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Li H, Lalwani SM, Eneh CI, Braide T, Batys P, Sammalkorpi M, Lutkenhaus JL. A Perspective on the Glass Transition and the Dynamics of Polyelectrolyte Multilayers and Complexes. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2023; 39:14823-14839. [PMID: 37819874 PMCID: PMC10863056 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c00974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2023] [Revised: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
Polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) or polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs), formed by layer-by-layer assembly or the mixing of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes (PEs) in aqueous solution, respectively, have potential applications in health, energy, and the environment. PEMs and PECs are very tunable because their structure and properties are influenced by factors such as pH, ionic strength, salt type, humidity, and temperature. Therefore, it is increasingly important to understand how these factors affect PECs and PEMs on a molecular level. In this Feature Article, we summarize our contributions to the field in the development of approaches to quantify the swelling, thermal properties, and dynamic mechanical properties of PEMs and PECs. First, the role of water as a plasticizer and in the glass-transition temperature (Tg) in both strong poly(diallyldimethylammonium)/poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PDADMA/PSS) and weak poly(allylamine hydrochloride)/poly(acrylic acid) (PAH/PAA) systems is presented. Then, factors influencing the dynamics of PECs and PEMs are discussed. We also reflect on the swelling of PEMs in response to different salts and solvent additives. Last, the nature of water's microenvironment in PEMs/PECs is discussed. A special emphasis is placed on experimental techniques, along with molecular simulations. Taken together, this review presents an outlook and offers recommendations for future research directions, such as studying the additional effects of hydrogen-bonding hydrophobic interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongwei Li
- Artie
McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Suvesh Manoj Lalwani
- Artie
McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Chikaodinaka I. Eneh
- Artie
McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Tamunoemi Braide
- Artie
McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
| | - Piotr Batys
- Jerzy
Haber Institute of Catalysis and Surface Chemistry, Polish Academy
of Sciences, Niezapominajek 8, 30-239 Krakow, Poland
| | - Maria Sammalkorpi
- Department
of Chemistry and Materials Science, Aalto
University, P.O. Box 16100, 00076 Aalto, Finland
- Department
of Bioproducts and Biosystems, Aalto University, P.O. Box 16100, 00076 Aalto, Finland
- Academy
of Finland Center of Excellence in Life-Inspired Hybrid Materials
(LIBER), Aalto University, P.O. Box 16100, 00076 Aalto, Finland
| | - Jodie L. Lutkenhaus
- Artie
McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, United States
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas
A&M University, College
Station, Texas 77840, United States
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A mini-review on bio-inspired polymer self-assembly: single-component and interactive polymer systems. Emerg Top Life Sci 2022; 6:593-607. [PMID: 36254846 DOI: 10.1042/etls20220057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Revised: 09/17/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Biology demonstrates meticulous ways to control biomaterials self-assemble into ordered and disordered structures to carry out necessary bioprocesses. Empowering the synthetic polymers to self-assemble like biomaterials is a hallmark of polymer physics studies. Unlike protein engineering, polymer science demystifies self-assembly by purposely embedding particular functional groups into the backbone of the polymer while isolating others. The polymer field has now entered an era of advancing materials design by mimicking nature to a very large extend. For example, we can make sequence-specific polymers to study highly ordered mesostructures similar to studying proteins, and use charged polymers to study liquid-liquid phase separation as in membraneless organelles. This mini-review summarizes recent advances in studying self-assembly using bio-inspired strategies on single-component and multi-component systems. Sequence-defined techniques are used to make on-demand hybrid materials to isolate the effects of chirality and chemistry in synthetic block copolymer self-assembly. In the meantime, sequence patterning leads to more hierarchical assemblies comprised of only hydrophobic and hydrophilic comonomers. The second half of the review discusses complex coacervates formed as a result of the associative charge interactions of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes. The tunable phase behavior and viscoelasticity are unique in studying liquid macrophase separation because the slow polymer relaxation comes primarily from charge interactions. Studies of bio-inspired polymer self-assembly significantly impact how we optimize user-defined materials on a molecular level.
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7
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Kim S, Lee WB, de Souza NR, Choi SH. QENS study on local segmental dynamics of polyelectrolytes in complex coacervates. POLYMER 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.polymer.2022.125525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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8
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Li J, Krishna B A, van Ewijk G, van Dijken DJ, de Vos WM, van der Gucht J. A comparison of complexation induced brittleness in PEI/PSS and PEI/NaPSS single-step coatings. Colloids Surf A Physicochem Eng Asp 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2022.129143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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9
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Eneh CI, Kastinen T, Oka S, Batys P, Sammalkorpi M, Lutkenhaus JL. Quantification of Water-Ion Pair Interactions in Polyelectrolyte Multilayers Using a Quartz Crystal Microbalance Method. ACS POLYMERS AU 2022; 2:287-298. [PMID: 35971421 PMCID: PMC9374166 DOI: 10.1021/acspolymersau.2c00008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
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Water existing within
thin polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) films
has significant influence on their physical, chemical, and thermal
properties, having implications for applications including energy
storage, smart coatings, and biomedical systems. Ionic strength, salt
type, and terminating layer are known to influence PEM swelling. However,
knowledge of water’s microenvironment within a PEM, whether
that water is affiliated with intrinsic or extrinsic ion pairs, remains
lacking. Here, we examine the influence of both assembly and post-assembly
conditions on the water–ion pair interactions of poly(styrene
sulfonate)/poly(diallyldimethylammonium) (PSS/PDADMA) PEMs in NaCl
and KBr. This is accomplished by developing a methodology in which
quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring is applied
to estimate the number of water molecules affiliated with an ion pair
(i), as well as the hydration coefficient, πsaltH2O. PSS/PDADMA PEMs are assembled in varying ionic strengths of either
NaCl and KBr and then exposed post-assembly to increasing ionic strengths
of matching salt type. A linear relationship between the total amount
of water per intrinsic ion pair and the post-assembly salt concentration
was obtained at post-assembly salt concentrations >0.5 M, yielding
estimates for both i and πsaltH2O. We observe higher
values of i and πsaltH2O in KBr-assembled PEMs due
to KBr being more effective in doping the assembly because of KBr’s
more chaotropic nature as compared to NaCl. Lastly, when PSS is the
terminating layer, i decreases in value due to PSS’s
hydrophobic nature. Classical and ab initio molecular
dynamics provide a microstructural view as to how NaCl and KBr interact
with individual polyelectrolytes and the involved water shells. Put
together, this study provides further insight into the understanding
of existing water microenvironments in PEMs and the effects of both
assembly and post-assembly conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chikaodinaka I Eneh
- Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77840, United States
| | - Tuuva Kastinen
- Department of Chemistry and Materials Science, Aalto University, P.O. Box 16100, 00076 Aalto, Finland.,Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Chemistry & Advanced Materials, Tampere University, P.O. Box 541, 33014 Tampere, Finland.,Academy of Finland Center of Excellence in Life-Inspired Hybrid Materials (LIBER), Aalto University, P.O. Box 16100, 00076 Aalto, Finland
| | - Suyash Oka
- Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77840, United States
| | - Piotr Batys
- Jerzy Haber Institute of Catalysis and Surface Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Niezapominajek 8, PL-30239 Krakow 30-239, Poland
| | - Maria Sammalkorpi
- Department of Chemistry and Materials Science, Aalto University, P.O. Box 16100, 00076 Aalto, Finland.,Academy of Finland Center of Excellence in Life-Inspired Hybrid Materials (LIBER), Aalto University, P.O. Box 16100, 00076 Aalto, Finland.,Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, Aalto University, P.O. Box 16100, 00076 Aalto, Finland
| | - Jodie L Lutkenhaus
- Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77840, United States.,Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77840, United States
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Khavani M, Batys P, Lalwani SM, Eneh CI, Leino A, Lutkenhaus JL, Sammalkorpi M. Effect of Ethanol and Urea as Solvent Additives on PSS–PDADMA Polyelectrolyte Complexation. Macromolecules 2022; 55:3140-3150. [PMID: 35492577 PMCID: PMC9052311 DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.1c02533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2021] [Revised: 03/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
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The effect of urea
and ethanol additives on aqueous solutions of
poly(styrenesulfonate) (PSS), poly(diallyldimethylammonium)
(PDADMA), and their complexation interactions are examined here via
molecular dynamics simulations, interconnected laser Doppler velocimetry,
and quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation. It is found that
urea and ethanol have significant, yet opposite influences on PSS
and PDADMA solvation and interactions. Notably, ethanol is systematically
depleted from solvating the charge groups but condenses at the hydrophobic
backbone of PSS. As a consequence of the poorer solvation environment
for the ionic groups, ethanol significantly increases the extent of
counterion condensation. On the other hand, urea readily solvates
both polyelectrolytes and replaces water in solvation. For PSS, urea
causes disruption of the hydrogen bonding of the PSS headgroup with
water. In PSS–PDADMA complexation, these differences influence
changes in the binding configurations relative to the case of pure
water. Specifically, added ethanol leads to loosening of the complex
caused by the enhancement of counterion condensation; added urea pushes
polyelectrolyte chains further apart because of the formation of a
persistent solvation shell. In total, we find that the effects of
urea and ethanol rise from changes in the microscopic-level solvation
environment and conformation resulting from solvating water being
replaced by the additive. The differences cannot be explained purely
via considering relative permittivity and continuum level electrostatic
screening. Taken together, the findings could bear significance in
tuning polyelectrolyte materials’ mechanical and swelling characteristics
via solution additives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Khavani
- Department of Chemistry and Materials Science, School of Chemical Engineering, Aalto University, P.O. Box 16100, FI-00076 Aalto, Finland
| | - Piotr Batys
- Jerzy Haber Institute of Catalysis and Surface Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Niezapominajek 8, PL-30239 Krakow, Poland
| | | | | | - Anna Leino
- Department of Chemistry and Materials Science, School of Chemical Engineering, Aalto University, P.O. Box 16100, FI-00076 Aalto, Finland
| | | | - Maria Sammalkorpi
- Department of Chemistry and Materials Science, School of Chemical Engineering, Aalto University, P.O. Box 16100, FI-00076 Aalto, Finland
- Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, School of Chemical Engineering, Aalto University, P.O. Box 16100, FI-00076 Aalto, Finland
- Academy of Finland Centre of Excellence in Life-Inspired Hybrid Materials (LIBER), Aalto University, P.O. Box 16100, FI-00076 Aalto, Finland
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van Lente JJ, Lindhoud S. Extraction of Lysozyme from Chicken Albumen Using Polyelectrolyte Complexes. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2022; 18:e2105147. [PMID: 34877780 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202105147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Revised: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Cells use droplet-like membrane-less organelles (MLOs) to compartmentalize and selectively take-up molecules, such as proteins, from their internal environment. These membraneless organelles can be mimicked by polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) consisting of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes. Previous research has demonstrated that protein uptake strongly depends on the PEC composition. This suggests that PECs can be used to selectively extract proteins from a multi-protein mixture. With this in mind, the partitioning of the protein lysozyme in four PEC systems consisting of different weak and strong polyelectrolyte combinations is investigated. All systems show similar trends in lysozyme partitioning as a function of the complex composition. The release of lysozyme from complexes at their optimal lysozyme uptake composition is investigated by increasing the salt concentration to 500 mm NaCl or lowering the pH from 7 to 4. Complexes of poly(allylamine hydrochloride) and poly(acrylic acid) have the best uptake and release properties. These are used for selective extraction of lysozyme from a hen-egg white protein matrix. The (back)-extracted lysozyme retains its enzymatic activity, showing the capability of PECs to function as extraction media for proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jéré J van Lente
- Department of Molecules & Materials, Membrane Science & Technology cluster, Nanobiophysics Group and MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, Drienerlolaan 5, Enschede, 7522 NB, The Netherlands
| | - Saskia Lindhoud
- Department of Molecules & Materials nd MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, Drienerlolaan 5, Enschede, 7522 NB, The Netherlands
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