Role of the Device Inclination on the Synthesis of Nanocomposite Gels

Abstract

Hydrogels as nanocomposite materials have achieved significant improvement in the field of bio-separation. Combining hydrogels with nanoparticles significantly enhanced the efficiency and selectivity of the separation process. Moreover, adding nanofillers to hydrogels significantly improved the physical, thermal, and mechanical properties of the nanocomposite hydrogel in comparison with "regular" ones. Previously, Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate (SDS)-micelles have been added to polyacrylamide gel, as a nanocomposite template, used in protein gel electrophoresis for separating proteins with polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) which is a widely used technique. In a recent exploratory study, an improved protein separation by electrophoresis was achieved by incorporating SDS micelles within polyacrylamide gel in varying concentrations. The SDS micelles were used to alter the internal porosity of polyacrylamide gels in order to achieve better resolution of the protein's separation from the mixture. Therefore, understanding the effect of polymerization conditions on hydrogel structural properties is very important. The goal of this study is to investigate the role of the polymerization angle of gel casting system on the distribution of the nanoparticles within polyacrylamide gel. Preliminary results of this project will show the influence of device inclination through gelation process on the uniformity and the performance of the nanocomposite hydrogel.