Objective
Polymer gels have properties of solids (stable outer shape, elasticity) and contain a large amount (>70-80 mass %)of solvent. Besides the very interesting fundamental aspects with respect to their organisation (self-assembling, polymorphism, phase transitions and microphase separation, conformational transitions and enzyme-mediated chemical reactions) they find many practical applications in medicine, bioengineering, food industry, etc. New perspectives appear on loading the gels with specific biomolles.
The present project needs a collaboration between several groups having complementary expertise in preparation, mollar assembling, morphology, analytical physico-chemical studies and mollar modelling of two- and three-dimensional gels in a liquid environment or at the liquid-gas boundary. Use of the sequently complicating model mollar systems, seria of specially synthesized ligands and strong physical and mathematical background in solving structural problems are the major points of the planned collaboration. An essential part of the project is devoted to polyelectrolyte gels. They contain charged network units (of biological or synthetic nature) and counterions neutralizing the network charges. The screened electrostatic interactions in the system result in a short-range ordered supramollar structure of the network. Introduction of other charged particles such as globular proteins, micelles or mineral colloids might result in the appearance of a long-range (crystalline) type of order. Besides the unusual structural (physical) properties, the system might acquire also non-isotropic chemical (or bio-chemical) response. The main aims of the present project are:
to investigate the ordering phenomena during formation/modification of the
physical or chemical gels of natural and model (synthetic) polymers in
presence of molles promoting ordering processes;
to use the non-random structure inside the gels to facilitate the
reconstruction of the functioning biomollar complexes (of proteins,
lipids, polysaccharides) in presence of known and newly synthesized
physiologically active compounds (PAC). As the results the interaction of the biomolles with PAC inside the gel will be studied and compared with the analogous interaction in isotropic solution and in lipid films. The phosphonium syntheses of nucleosides analogues is expected to result in the new PAC affecting transport capability of phospholipid membranes. Mechanisms of mollar processes that occur when PAC interact with biological molles in aqueous environment will be clarified.
Topic(s)
Data not availableCall for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
Data not availableCoordinator
3001 Leuven-Heverlee
Belgium