Document Type
Article
Subject Area(s)
Chemistry, Physics, Biochemistry, Chemical Physics
Abstract
Through the use of variable disulfide crosslinkers, we have created polyacrylamide gels whose shape can be altered after polymerization. N,N'-bisacryloylcystamine is incorporated as a crosslinker, along with a smaller amount of a permanent crosslinker. After polymerization, the disulfide bonds are cleaved into thiols through reduction. By reoxidizing the thiols with the gel held in a new macroscopic shape, a new set of disulfide bonds is formed, and the gel is forced to adopt the new shape. Retension of the new shape improves with greater distortion from the original shape, as well as with increased concentration of variable disulfide bonds. A simple theoretical model has been developed to explain these data, although the enigmatic kinetics of relaxation remain unexplained.
Publication Info
Published in Journal of Chemical Physics, Volume 114, Issue 23, 2001, pages 10551-10556.
Copyright 2001 American Institute of Physics. This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the American Institute of Physics.
The following article appeared in The Journal of Chemical Physics and may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.1369139
Greytak, A. B., Grosberg, A. Y., & Tanaka, T. (2001). Shape imprinting due to variable disulfide bonds in polyacrylamide gels. Journal of Chemical Physics, 114(23), 10551-10556. http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.1369139
Rights
Copyright 2001 American Institute of Physics. This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the American Institute of Physics.
The following article appeared in The Journal of Chemical Physics and may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.1369139
Greytak, A. B., Grosberg, A. Y., & Tanaka, T. (2001). Shape imprinting due to variable disulfide bonds in polyacrylamide gels. Journal of Chemical Physics, 114(23), 10551-10556. http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.1369139
Included in
Biological and Chemical Physics Commons, Other Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology Commons, Physical Chemistry Commons