IUC Project: Adjustable Micelles in Supercritical Fluids

根据最近关于反胶束增溶亲水蛋白质的工作和最近对反胶束在超临界流体中的观察，推测在超临界流体中，反胶束很容易将亲水蛋白质带走并沉淀出来。由于反胶束的聚集数随有机溶剂的溶解度参数而变化很大，而且超临界溶剂的溶解度参数随体系在临界点以上相空间中的位置而变化很大，因此反胶束在超临界溶剂中的聚集数应随压力和温度的变化而变化。由于蛋白质在反胶束中的分配系数强烈依赖于反胶束的大小，因此在临界点以上条件的微小变化很容易迫使蛋白质从反胶束进入水相。这一现象，如果能够证明，将形成一个潜在的有价值的生物分子分离过程的基础。该系统具有许多元素，使其在生物分离领域的工业应用方面具有很高的前景。

Based on recent work on reverse micellar solubilization of hydrophilic proteins and recent observations of reverse micelles in supercritical fluids, it is hypothesized that hydrophilic proteins may be readily taken up by and precipitated from reverse micelles in a supercritical fluid. Since aggregation numbers of reverse micelles vary tremendously with the solubility parameter of the organic used as a solvent and since the solubility parameter of a supercritical solvent varies dramatically with the location of the system in phase space above the critical point, aggregation numbers of reverse micelles should vary dramatically with pressure and temperature in a supercritical solvent. Since the partition coefficient of proteins in reverse micelles is strongly dependent on the size of the reverse micelles, slight changes in conditions above the critical point might readily force the proteins from the reverse micelles into an aqueous phase. This phenomenon, if it can be demonstrated, would form the basis of a potentially valuable separation process for biomolecules. This system has many elements which make it highly promising with regard to industrial applications in the area of bioseparations.