Biomedical subjects

S Kim Ratanathanawongs Williams

Publications and source records attributed to S Kim Ratanathanawongs Williams.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Field-flow fractionation of proteins, polysaccharides, synthetic polymers, and supramolecular assemblies.

This review summarizes developments and applications of flow and thermal field-flow fractionation (FFF) in the areas of macromolecules and supramolecular assemblies. In the past 10 years, the use of these FFF techniques has extended beyond determining diffusion coefficients, hydrodynamic diameters, and molecular weights of standards. Complex samples as diverse as polysaccharides, prion particles, and block copolymers have been characterized and processes such as aggregation, stability, and infectivity have been monitored. The open channel design used in FFF makes it a gentle separation technique for high- and ultrahigh-molecular weight macromolecules, aggregates, and self-assembled complexes. Coupling FFF with other techniques such as multiangle light scattering and MS provides additional invaluable information about conformation, branching, and identity.

Fractionation, Field Flow↗

PubMed2005

Interface for direct and continuous sample-matrix deposition onto a MALDI probe for polymer analysis by thermal field flow fractionation and off-line MALDI-MS.

A simple interface based on an oscillating capillary nebulizer (OCN) is described for direct deposition of eluate from a thermal field-flow fractionation (ThFFF) system onto a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) probe. In this study, the polymer-containing eluent from the ThFFF system was mixed on-line with MALDI matrix solution and deposited directly onto a moving MALDI probe. The result was a continuous sample track representative of the fractionation process. Subsequent off-line MALDI-mass spectrometry analysis was performed in automated and manual modes. Polystyrene samples of broad polydispersity were used to characterize the overall system performance. The OCN interface is easy to build and operate without the use of heaters or high voltages and is compatible with any MALDI probe format.

Fractionation, Field Flow↗

PubMed2003

Analysis of whole bacterial cells by flow field-flow fractionation and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

The purpose of this study is to develop a novel bacterial analysis method by coupling the flow field-flow fractionation (flow FFF) separation technique with detection by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. The composition of carrier liquid used for flow FFF was selected based on retention of bacterial cells and compatibility with the MALDI process. The coupling of flow FFF and MALDI-TOF MS was demonstrated for P. putida and E. coli. Fractions of the whole cells were collected after separation by FFF and further analyzed by MALDI-MS. Each fraction, collected over different time intervals, corresponded to different sizes and possibly different growth stages of bacteria. The bacterial analysis by flow FFF/MALDI-TOF MS was completed within 1 h with only preliminary optimization of the process.

Bacillus cereus↗

PubMed2003

Coupling thermal field-flow fractionation with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry for the analysis of synthetic polymers.

Thermal field-flow fractionation (ThFFF) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS) have been coupled to yield a powerful combination of techniques for polymer analysis. Thermal FFF's high molecular weight (MW) selectivity and sensitivity to chemical composition are used to separate polydisperse polymers and polymer mixtures into the narrow polydispersity and homogeneous chemical composition fractions essential for MALDI-TOFMS analyses. On the other hand, MALDI-TOFMS's ability to directly measure molecular weight alleviates the need for polymer standards for ThFFF. In this first-time coupling of ThFFF and MALDI-TOFMS, compatibility issues were addressed and optimum conditions and procedures were identified and developed to maximize the capabilities of the combined technique. Depending on the polymer MW and the method of MALDI sample deposition, fractions from 1-10 ThFFF runs were combined for MALDI-TOFMS analysis. Binary solvents were used to enhance ThFFF retention and resolution of low-MW (<15-kDa) polymers, and methods were developed to allow routine MALDI-TOFMS analyses of polystyrene polymers up to 575 kDa. Overall, the MW compatibility of the two techniques was extended from several kilodaltons to several hundred kilodaltons. Polymer fractions were collected after separation by ThFFF and analyzed either by MALDI-TOFMS or reinjection into the ThFFF system. Good agreement was observed between the MW distribution data obtained by MALDI-TOFMS and ThFFF. The application of ThFFF/MALDI-TOFMS to polydisperse polymers and polymer mixtures was demonstrated. This combined technique was also shown to be a viable means for preparing standards from the original polymer sample.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2003

Lowering the molecular mass limit of thermal field-flow fractionation for polymer separations.

Thermal field-flow fractionation (ThFFF) is capable of separating a wide molecular mass range of polymers by their molecular mass (Mr) and chemical composition. However, retention and resolution decrease significantly for polymers with Mr<20 kDa. Various approaches for increasing the retention of low Mr (<15 kDa) polymers were investigated. Our results showed that temperature conditions and single-component solvents had a limited effect on polymer retention and that certain binary solvent mixtures caused a dramatic increase in retention. The binary solvents approach has enabled the use of a ThFFF system and temperature conditions to separate 2.6 kDa PS from 4.4 kDa PS, thereby extending the applicability of ThFFF to lower molecular masses. The effect of binary solvent mixtures on polymer retention is correlated with the mixture viscosity.

Fractionation, Field Flow↗

PubMed2003

Practical implications of ionic strength effects on particle retention in thermal field-flow fractionation.

Modification of ionic strength of an aqueous or non-aqueous carrier solution can have profound effects on the particle retention behavior in thermal field-flow fractionation (ThFFF). These effects can be considered as either advantageous or not depending on the performance criteria under consideration. Aside from the general increase in retention time of particulate material (latexes and silica particles), our experiments indicate improvement in resolution with increases in electrolyte concentration. Absence of an electrolyte in the carrier solution causes deviations from the theoretically expected linear behavior between the retention parameter lambda (a measure of the extent of interaction between the applied field and the particle) and the reciprocal temperature drop across the channel walls. A negative interaction parameter delta(w), of about -0.170 was determined for 0.105- and 0.220-microm polystyrene (PS) latex particles suspended in either a 0.25 or a 1.0 mM TBAP-containing acetonitrile carrier and for 0.220 microm PS in 0.50 and 1.0 mM NaCl-containing aqueous medium. This work also demonstrates that optimum electrolyte concentrations can be chosen to achieve reasonable experimental run-times, good resolution separations, and shifts in the steric inversion points at lower field strengths, and that too high electrolyte concentrations can have deleterious effects such as band broadening and sample loss through adsorption to the channel accumulation surface. The advantages of using ionic strength rather than field strength to effect desired changes are lowered power consumption and possible application of ThFFF to high temperature-labile samples.

Fractionation, Field Flow↗

PubMed2003

Retention behavior of metal particle dispersions in aqueous and nonaqueous carriers in thermal field-flow fractionation.

Until quite recently, theories on thermophoresis of particles predicted very low thermophoretic velocities of metal particles in liquids. This prediction was based on the understanding that the very high thermal conductivities of metals relative to most liquid media resulted in quite low temperature gradients across the metal particle thereby leading to low net force on the particle. In this paper, we report the retention behavior of submicrometer size metal particles of silver (Ag), gold (Au), palladium (Pd) and platinum (Pt) suspended in both aqueous and organic (specifically, acetonitrile and tetrahydrofuran) carrier liquids in thermal field-flow fractionation (ThFFF). The dependence of the metal particle retention on various factors such as particle composition, amount of added electrolyte, carrier liquid composition, field strength, channel thickness, and carrier flow-rate is evaluated and discussed. A comparison in particle retention behavior among equal-sized metal, latex and silica particles is also provided.

Fractionation, Field Flow↗