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Related Concept Videos

Colloids03:22

Colloids

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Children at play often make suspensions such as mixtures of mud and water, flour and water, or a suspension of solid pigments in water known as tempera paint. These suspensions are heterogeneous mixtures composed of relatively large particles that are visible to the naked eye or can be seen with a magnifying glass. They are cloudy, and the suspended particles settle out after mixing. On the other hand, a solution is a homogeneous mixture in which no settling occurs and in which the dissolved...
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Children at play often make suspensions such as mixtures of mud and water, flour and water, or a suspension of solid pigments in water known as tempera paint. These suspensions are heterogeneous mixtures composed of relatively large particles visible to the naked eye or seen with a magnifying glass. They are cloudy, and the suspended particles settle out after mixing. The suspended particles in a suspension settle out after some time of mixing. The separation of particles from a suspension is...
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Membrane fluidity is explained by the fluid mosaic model of the cell membrane, which describes the plasma membrane structure as a mosaic of components—including phospholipids, cholesterol, proteins, and carbohydrates—that gives the membrane a fluid character.
Mosaic nature of the membrane
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Cell membranes are composed of phospholipids, proteins, and carbohydrates loosely attached to one another through chemical interactions. Molecules are generally able to move about in the plane of the membrane, giving the membrane its flexible nature called fluidity. Two other features of the membrane contribute to membrane fluidity: the chemical structure of the phospholipids and the presence of cholesterol in the membrane.
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Lipids are an essential component of all biological membranes. The average lipid content in mammalian membranes is 50%, though it can be as low as 20% in the inner mitochondrial membrane or as high as 80% in the myelin sheath present around the nerve cells.
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Membrane-enclosed structures called vesicles transport proteins and lipids across the cell. The vesicles derive their cargo from the plasma membrane, Golgi, ER, or endosome. Coated vesicles are spherical, protein-coated carriers with a 50–100 nm diameter that mediate bidirectional transport between the ER and the Golgi. The distribution of proteins between the ER and Golgi complex is dynamic and is maintained by different coated vesicles. Their formation is driven by the assembly of...
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Complex coacervate core micro-emulsions.

B Hofs1, A de Keizer1, S van der Burgh1

  • 1Laboratory of Physical Chemistry and Colloid Science, Wageningen University, Dreijenplein 6, Wageningen, 6703 HB, The Netherlands.

Soft Matter
|September 10, 2020
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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Complex coacervate core micelles and micro-emulsions were formed and characterized. Particle size increased with added homopolyelectrolytes, with stable micro-emulsions forming in phosphate buffer.

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Area of Science:

  • Polymer Science
  • Materials Science
  • Physical Chemistry

Background:

  • Complex coacervate core micelles are formed from oppositely charged block copolymers in aqueous solutions.
  • Poly(acrylic acid)-block-poly(acrylamide) (PAAxPAAmy) and poly(N,N-dimethyl aminoethyl methacrylate) (PDMAEMA150) form these micelles near a stoichiometric charge ratio.
  • The properties of these assemblies are sensitive to solution conditions and added components.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the formation and properties of complex coacervate core micelles and micro-emulsions.
  • To study the effect of adding oppositely charged homopolyelectrolytes on particle size.
  • To explore the influence of buffer composition on particle stability and morphology.

Main Methods:

  • Formation of complex coacervate core micelles and micro-emulsions using PAAxPAAmy and PDMAEMA150.
  • Varying concentrations of added homopolyelectrolytes (PAA140, PDMAEMA150).
  • Preparation in different aqueous media (NaNO3 vs. phosphate buffer).
  • Characterization using hydrodynamic radius (Rh) measurements and electrophoretic mobility (ζ-potential).
  • Self-consistent field calculations to model particle morphology.

Main Results:

  • Complex coacervate core micelles formed in NaNO3 showed metastable aggregation, with Rh increasing upon homopolyelectrolyte addition.
  • Preparation in phosphate buffer yielded stable complex coacervate core micro-emulsions (C3-μEs) with Rh increases consistent with geometrical packing models.
  • A two-regime increase in Rh was observed for C3-μEs, attributed to a morphological transition from star-like to crew-cut.
  • ζ-potential measurements indicated that C3-μEs possess excess charge, which can be screened by long neutral blocks.

Conclusions:

  • Phosphate buffer promotes the formation of stable C3-μEs, unlike NaNO3 which leads to metastable aggregates.
  • The size increase of C3-μEs with added homopolyelectrolytes is predictable by geometrical models.
  • Morphological transitions influence the hydrodynamic radius of C3-μEs.
  • Neutral block length is crucial for charge screening in these complex coacervate systems.