A neglected dimension
Article Abstract:
Marine colloids are abundant in the oceans representing 30-50% of the dissolved organic carbon. There is a lack of consensus about the processes that regulate colloid cycling. Chin and colleagues have invoked a polymer gel theory to explain the behaviour of marine colloids. They show the significance of nonspecific surface interactions in colloid cycling and have discovered that discrete natural polymers coalesce spontaneously, forming large, sinking conglomerates. Particulate gels were found to re-form from soluble and colloidal precursors, after the removal of previous gels via filtration.
Publication Name: Nature
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0028-0836
Year: 1998
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Entropic trapping of macromolecules by mesoscopic periodic voids in a polymer hydrogel
Article Abstract:
Transport of macromolecules through the gel matrices, depends on the size of the macromolecule. Small molecules are believed to take on a spherical conformation, while larger molecules migrate in a snake-like way. Intermediate size molecules can get trapped in the pores, and such entropic trapping is believed to raise the dependence of the diffusion rate on molecular size. Bragg diffraction from a hydrogel having monodisperse water voids confirmed that different weights of polymers partition between the matrix of the hydrogel and water voids according to the entropic trapping theory.
Publication Name: Nature
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0028-0836
Year: 1999
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Colloidal culprits in contamination
Article Abstract:
Kerstig and colleagues have demonstrated the significant influence that colloids may have on contaminant transport. They have used isotopic fingerprinting to show that the element Pu which has low aqueous solubility, is transported significant distances through a groundwater systems, dye to colloidal species. However Ryan and Elimelech have delineated three conditions for evidence of contaminant transportation by colloids, that they are present, that contaminants are associated with them and that the colloids and contaminants must move through the aquifer.
Publication Name: Nature
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0028-0836
Year: 1999
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