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Diffusiophoresis and osmotic diffusion in ternary aqueous mixtures of polyethylene glycol containing trimethylamine-N-oxide or urea as cosolutes
Lechlitner, Lara Richelle.author.
Lechlitner, Lara Richelle.author.
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2017
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Abstract
Diffusiophoresis is the net migration of macromolecules within liquid mixtures induced by a concentration gradient of a cosolute. Osmotic diffusion is the net migration of cosolute molecules induced by a concentration gradient of a macromolecules. The diffusiophoresis of polyethylene glycol (PEG) induced by cosolute concentration gradients were experimentally characterized together with cosolute osmotic diffusion by Rayleigh Interferometry at 25°C. In this investigation, trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) and urea were chosen as two distinct cosolute cases inspired by their opposite applications in protein aqueous systems. Our results on cosolute osmotic diffusion were successfully used to characterize the PEG-TMAO (repulsive) and PEG-urea (attractive) net interactions in water. Moreover, PEG diffusiophoresis in the TMAO case was found to be five-fold larger than that observed in the urea case. This suggests that TMAO concentration gradients could be exploited to induce the migration of macromolecules with applications in the fields of separation, adsorption and microfluidic technologies.
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1 online resource (viii, 75 pages) :
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Chemistry and Biochemistry