scholarly journals Thermodynamics of droplets undergoing liquid-liquid phase separation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Subhadip Biswas ◽  
Biswaroop Mukherjee ◽  
Buddhapriya Chakrabarti
Keyword(s):  
Surface Tension ◽  
Phase Separation ◽  
Liquid Phase ◽  
Volume Fraction ◽  
Mean Field Theory ◽  
Equilibrium Phase ◽  
Mean Field ◽  
Liquid Phase Separation ◽  
Polymer Mixture ◽  
Liquid Liquid Phase Separation

We study the thermodynamics of binary mixtures wherein the volume fraction of the minority component is less than the amount required to form a flat interface. Based on an explicit microscopic mean field theory, we show that the surface tension dominated equilibrium phase of a polymer mixture forms a single macroscopic droplet. A combination of elastic interactions that renormalize the surface tension, and arrests phase separation for a gel-polymer mixture, stabilize a micro-droplet phase. We compute the droplet size as a function of the interfacial tension, Flory parameter, and elastic moduli of the gel. Our results illustrate the importance of the rheological properties of the solvent in dictating the thermodynamic phase behavior of biopolymers undergoing liquid-liquid phase separation.

scholarly journals Zinc promotes liquid–liquid phase separation of tau protein

2020 ◽  
Vol 295 (18) ◽  
pp. 5850-5856 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virender Singh ◽  
Ling Xu ◽  
Solomiia Boyko ◽  
Krystyna Surewicz ◽  
Witold K. Surewicz
Keyword(s):  
Phase Separation ◽  
Liquid Phase ◽  
Transition Metal ◽  
Equilibrium Phase ◽  
Transition Metal Ions ◽  
Liquid Phase Separation ◽  
Zinc Homeostasis ◽  
Promoting Effect ◽  
Microscopy Imaging ◽  
Liquid Liquid Phase Separation

Tau is a microtubule-associated protein that plays a major role in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other tauopathies. Recent reports indicate that, in the presence of crowding agents, tau can undergo liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS), forming highly dynamic liquid droplets. Here, using recombinantly expressed proteins, turbidimetry, fluorescence microscopy imaging, and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) assays, we show that the divalent transition metal zinc strongly promotes this process, shifting the equilibrium phase boundary to lower protein or crowding agent concentrations. We observed no tau LLPS-promoting effect for any other divalent transition metal ions tested, including Mn2+, Fe2+, Co2+, Ni2+, and Cu2+. We also demonstrate that multiple zinc-binding sites on tau are involved in the LLPS-promoting effect and provide insights into the mechanism of this process. Zinc concentration is highly elevated in AD brains, and this metal ion is believed to be an important player in the pathogenesis of this disease. Thus, the present findings bring a new dimension to understanding the relationship between zinc homeostasis and the pathogenic process in AD and related neurodegenerative disorders.

Arrested and temporarily arrested states in a protein–polymer mixture studied by USAXS and VSANS

Soft Matter ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (46) ◽  
pp. 8756-8765 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Da Vela ◽  
Christian Exner ◽  
Richard Santiago Schäufele ◽  
Johannes Möller ◽  
Zhendong Fu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phase Separation ◽  
Liquid Phase ◽  
Liquid Phase Separation ◽  
Polymer Mixture ◽  
Protein Polymer ◽  
Coarsening Kinetics ◽  
Liquid Liquid Phase Separation

A three-stage coarsening kinetics is revealed by USAXS in a protein–polymer mixture approaching arrested liquid–liquid phase separation.

scholarly journals Core-shell droplets and microcapsules formed through liquid-liquid phase separation of a colloid-polymer mixture

Soft Matter ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Dang ◽  
John Brady ◽  
Ryle Rel ◽  
Sreenidhi Surineni ◽  
Conor O'Shaughnessy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phase Separation ◽  
Liquid Phase ◽  
Liquid Phase Separation ◽  
Shell Structures ◽  
Polymer Mixture ◽  
Core Shell ◽  
Liquid Liquid Phase Separation

Microcapsules allow for the controlled containment, transport, and release of cargoes ranging from pharmaceuticals to fragrances. Given the interest from a variety of industries in microcapsules and other core-shell structures,...

A Homogeneous Solidification Criterion for Undercooled Ni-20at%Pb Hypermonotectic Melts

2011 ◽  
Vol 695 ◽  
pp. 340-343
Author(s):  
Hui Xie ◽  
Gen Cang Yang ◽  
Lei Jia ◽  
Zhen Lin Lu
Keyword(s):  
Phase Separation ◽  
Liquid Phase ◽  
Cooling Rate ◽  
Nucleation Rate ◽  
Volume Fraction ◽  
Liquid Phase Separation ◽  
Homogeneous Microstructure ◽  
Nucleation Barrier ◽  
Hypermonotectic Alloy ◽  
Liquid Liquid Phase Separation

The kinetic process of liquid-liquid phase separation in the undercooled Ni-20at%Pb hypermonotectic alloy melts was analyzed theoretically. The results showed that liquid-liquid separation could not be inhibited due to smaller nucleation barrier and bigger nucleation rate of Pb-rich droplets. In the course of liquid-liquid phase separation, the volume fraction of Pb-rich droplets was thought as a function of time or temperature. At a certain cooling rate, the volume fraction was mainly controlled by the undercooling of Ni-Pb hypermonotectic melts. Based on the above results, a homogeneous solidification criterion for the undercooled Ni-20at%Pb hypermonotectic alloy melts was developed. Such a criterion predicted that the homogeneous microstructure could be obtained at the undercooling 263K, and the experimental results accorded with the predicting ones on the whole.

scholarly journals Liquid–liquid phase separation in an inhomogeneous ternary colloid–polymer mixture

2021 ◽  
Vol 154 (22) ◽  
pp. 224504
Author(s):  
Florian Gußmann ◽  
Hendrik Hansen-Goos ◽  
S. Dietrich ◽  
Roland Roth
Keyword(s):  
Phase Separation ◽  
Liquid Phase ◽  
Liquid Phase Separation ◽  
Polymer Mixture ◽  
Liquid Liquid Phase Separation

scholarly journals Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation of Tau Driven by Hydrophobic Interaction Facilitates Fibrillization of Tau

2021 ◽  
Vol 433 (2) ◽  
pp. 166731
Author(s):  
Yanxian Lin ◽  
Yann Fichou ◽  
Andrew P. Longhini ◽  
Luana C. Llanes ◽  
Pengyi Yin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phase Separation ◽  
Liquid Phase ◽  
Hydrophobic Interaction ◽  
Liquid Phase Separation ◽  
Liquid Liquid Phase Separation

scholarly journals Amyloid Aggregation under the Lens of Liquid–Liquid Phase Separation

2020 ◽  
pp. 368-378
Author(s):  
Yanting Xing ◽  
Aparna Nandakumar ◽  
Aleksandr Kakinen ◽  
Yunxiang Sun ◽  
Thomas P. Davis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phase Separation ◽  
Liquid Phase ◽  
Liquid Phase Separation ◽  
Amyloid Aggregation ◽  
Liquid Liquid Phase Separation

scholarly journals Observation of liquid-liquid phase separation of ataxin-3 and quantitative evaluation of its concentration in a single droplet using Raman microscopy

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazuki Murakami ◽  
Shinji Kajimoto ◽  
Daiki Shibata ◽  
Kunisato Kuroi ◽  
Fumihiko Fujii ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phase Separation ◽  
Liquid Phase ◽  
Neurodegenerative Diseases ◽  
Protein Aggregation ◽  
Quantitative Evaluation ◽  
Raman Microscopy ◽  
Liquid Phase Separation ◽  
Biological Processes ◽  
Single Droplet ◽  
Liquid Liquid Phase Separation

Liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) plays an important role in a variety of biological processes and is also associated with protein aggregation in neurodegenerative diseases. Quantification of LLPS is necessary to...

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