Author's Department/Program
Biomedical Engineering
Language
English (en)
Date of Award
1-1-2011
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Chair and Committee
Carl Frieden
Abstract
Knowledge of phase behaviour of polymer solutions is critical in understanding their chemical and physical properties. Proteins are polymers and aggregation is a phase separation process, hence there is a need for the use of techniques from polymer physics to characterize phase diagrams. Prior work on protein aggregation indicates the need for superheated water to disaggregate the system, accordingly this report proposes a simple, efficient, and reliable instrument for experimentally determining cloud-point curves for binary polymer-solvent systems. Cloud-point measurements are a prominent technique in constructing phase diagrams. A one milliliter optical cell has been designed and constructed, to withstand 200 o Celsius temperature and 3500 Psi. The cell has been used to successfully reconstruct coexistence curves, and identify critical points for different binary polymer-solvent systems, including part of the cloud point curve for PEG-8000: Poly-(ethylene glycol)n)-water, to validate the use of the device. We also report our initial results using aggregation prone protein samples.
Recommended Citation
Ganesan, Sai Janani, "Design, Construction and Testing of a High Temperature High Pressure Spectroscopic Cell for Polymer Physics Studies" (2011). All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs). 503.
https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/etd/503
Comments
Permanent URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.7936/K7T72FF2