Towards Improved Durability of Nanocomposite Hydrogels for Bio-Separations

Gels are widely used in biological separations, but commonly certain protein or oligosaccharide mixtures can present significant challenges. These include low resolution of individual components, high costs due to the need of multiple gels for specific mixtures, short shelf life, and material durability. Nano-channeled composite gels represent a disruptive technology to resolve some of these issues. The basis for protein mobility through arrayed nanochannels in hydrogels is addressed by model systems such as gold nanorod-embedded components. The material strength of gold nano-composite gels versus filler aspect ratio is compared with control poly-acrylamide hydrogels.