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Colloids

Colloids

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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Cellular Membranes and Drug Transport

Cellular Membranes and Drug Transport

Drugs must traverse multiple biological barriers, such as multi-layered skin, single-layered intestinal epithelium, and the plasma membrane, to reach their target sites within the body. The plasma membrane, a highly structured composite of phospholipids, carbohydrates, and proteins, is the cell's protective boundary, facilitating selective substance exchange.
Phospholipids arrange themselves into a bilayer, with hydrophilic heads oriented outward and hydrophobic tails facing inward.

Pore Transport and Ion-Pair Transport

Pore Transport and Ion-Pair Transport

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Transcellular Transport of Solutes

Transcellular Transport of Solutes

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 7, 2025

Preparation and Friction Force Microscopy Measurements of Immiscible, Opposing Polymer Brushes

Preparation and Friction Force Microscopy Measurements of Immiscible, Opposing Polymer Brushes

Published on: December 24, 2014

Selective Colloid Transport across Planar Polymer Brushes.

Mikhail Y Laktionov¹, Ekaterina B Zhulina², Leonid Klushin^2,3

¹ITMO University, 49 Kronverksky Prospekt, Saint Petersburg, 197101, Russia.

Macromolecular Rapid Communications

|March 14, 2023

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This study presents a theory for colloid transport in polymer brushes, showing how to tune surface coatings for selective binding and movement. This enables the design of advanced sensing and purification devices.

Keywords:

colloids diffusion macromolecular interactions polymer brushes selective transport

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Preparation and Friction Force Microscopy Measurements of Immiscible, Opposing Polymer Brushes

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Area of Science:

Surface science
Colloid science
Polymer physics

Background:

Polymer brushes are versatile surface coatings with biological and technological relevance.
Understanding colloid interaction with polymer brushes is crucial for applications but remains under-studied.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a theoretical framework for analyzing colloid binding and transport in planar polymer brushes.
To investigate the influence of solvent strength and colloid-polymer affinity on these processes.

Main Methods:

A mean-field theoretical approach was employed.
The theory explicitly considers solvent effects on brush conformation.
Colloid-polymer affinity's impact on binding and transport was analyzed.

Main Results:

A position-dependent free energy for colloid insertion was derived, governing transport rates.
The study demonstrates tuneable selectivity of polymer brushes for colloids based on size and affinity.
Optimal conditions for high brush permeability and selectivity were identified.

Conclusions:

The developed theory provides a method to design polymer brushes as selective gates for colloids.
This work can advance the development of sensing and purification devices.
It also enhances understanding of biological polymer brush functions.