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Aquaporins or AQPs are a family of integral membrane proteins whose primary function is to transport water, while some called aquaglyceroporins also transport glycerol. In addition, aquaporins have also been suspected to be involved in transporting volatile substances, such as carbon dioxide and ammonia, across membranes. Such AQPs that act as gas channels are often highly expressed in cells involved in the gaseous exchange, such as red blood cells, epithelial cells, and pulmonary capillaries.

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Ion exchange chromatography separates charged molecules from a solution by reversibly exchanging them with mobile, or 'active', ions associated with the oppositely charged stationary phase. This method can be used to separate ions, soften and deionize water, and purify solutions. The polymers comprising the ion-exchange column are high-molecular-weight and chemically stable polymers, crosslinked to be porous and essentially insoluble. They are also functionalized with either acidic or...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 30, 2025

Hydrophobic Salt-modified Nafion for Enzyme Immobilization and Stabilization

Hydrophobic Salt-modified Nafion for Enzyme Immobilization and Stabilization

Published on: July 11, 2012

Nafion: New and Old Insights into Structure and Function.

Barry W Ninham¹, Matthew J Battye², Polina N Bolotskova³

¹Department of Materials Physics, Research School of Physics, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia.

|May 13, 2023

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Investigating Nafion polymer swelling revealed that deuterium content in water affects its nanostructure. Deuterium adsorption alters sulfonic acid groups, leading to extended fiber structures with potential biological ion transport implications.

Keywords:

Fourier transform IR spectroscopy Nafion deuterium-depleted water endothelial surface layer exclusion zone fuel cells photoluminescence spectroscopy specific electrolyte (Hofmeister) effects swelling of polymer membrane unwinding of polymer fibers

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Area of Science:

Materials Science
Polymer Chemistry
Spectroscopy

Background:

Nafion is a key ion-exchange polymer membrane.
Understanding its swelling dynamics and nanostructure is crucial for applications.
Sulfonic acid groups are central to Nafion's properties.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the swelling dynamics of Nafion in aqueous solutions.
To infer the nanostructure of Nafion using spectroscopic techniques.
To explore the effect of deuterium content in water on Nafion's swelling behavior.

Main Methods:

Photoluminescent spectroscopy
Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy
Controlled variation of deuterium content in water (DI water vs. DDW)

Main Results:

Photoluminescence centers identified as sulfonic groups on perfluorovinyl ether chains.
Deuterium adsorption on sulfonic groups alters sulfate bond geometry.
Swelling in different waters leads to unwound polymer fibers forming a brush-like structure.

Conclusions:

Deuterium content significantly influences Nafion swelling and nanostructure.
The observed brush-like structure has potential implications for biological ion transport.
Nafion's behavior may offer insights into highly sulfated biological polymers like heparan and chondroitin sulfate.