Comparative Pore Structure Analysis of Dextran-Coated Polystyrene Particles

Porous poly(styrene-divinylbenzene) (PS-DVB) particles were modified by adsorption of hydrophobically-modified dextrans, to provide chromatographic matrices for biomolecule chromatography. The dextran distribution and the pore characteristics of various coated PS-DVB beads were examined using nitrogen adsorption-desorption, mercury intrusion, and size exclusion chromatography. It was found that the adsorption of dextran does not result in homogeneous layers but rather in inhomogeneous ones. At high dextran loading and high content of hydrophobic groups in the adsorbed polymer, most of the pores of the macroporous rigid material are filled with a soft and porous dextran network being stabilized by hydrophobic interactions. According to chromatographic experiments, most of the surface was nevertheless expected to be covered at least by a thin and dense protecting layer since proteins-even those that are small enough to penetrate the dextran network-cannot interact nonspecifically with the internal pore surface. At low content of hydrophobic groups, dextran deposits preferentially as a thicker and more diffuse layer. However, the thickness of the coating is expected to be irregular and probably contributes to an increase in the roughness of the polystyrene surface. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.