Multiphasic Coacervates Assembled by Hydrogen Bonding and Hydrophobic Interactions

Area of Science:

• Biomolecular chemistry
• Materials science
• Cell biology

Background:

• Coacervation is a key mechanism for cellular compartmentalization.
• While charged coacervates are well-studied, nonionic coacervates remain less understood.
• Synthetic coacervates serve as simplified models for biological systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the assembly and stabilization mechanisms of nonionic coacervates.
• To develop synthetic nonionic coacervates with tunable properties.
• To mimic the functions and structures of intracellular biological coacervates.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of a library of coacervate-forming polyesteramides.
• Characterization of nonionic coacervate formation stabilized by hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions.
• Tuning coacervate properties (viscosity, interfacial tension) via temperature and composition.

Main Results:

• Polyesteramide coacervates are stabilized by water-tertiary amide hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions.
• These nonionic coacervates exhibit liquid-like properties (low viscosity, low interfacial energy) and form from short polymers.
• Tunable viscosity and interfacial tension were achieved by controlling temperature and polymer composition.
• Engineered multiphasic coacervates with core-shell architectures were created.

Conclusions:

• Synthetic nonionic polyesteramide coacervates provide a tunable platform for studying cellular compartmentalization.
• These systems mimic the mesoscopic properties and architectures of biological coacervates.
• They offer a valuable tool for exploring cellular physicochemical principles governing partitioning and reaction rates.