Hydrophilic polymer enhanced multichannel flow electrophoresis

Two kinds of polysulfone microfiltration membranes were applied to the multicompartment electrolyzer of multichannel flow electrophoresis (MFE) to increase MFE output. Liquid-membrane interface modification aimed at reducing protein adsorption on the membrane surface was studied by addition of polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene glycol 4000, and polyvinylpyrolidone K30 in the protein solution. The experimental results show that the presence of these polymers reduces the protein adsorption, and the electrophoretic migration speed of the charged protein in the membrane is dominated by the interaction between the protein and the membrane. Continuous separation of a bovine serum albumin and hemoglobin mixture in the presence of PEG 4000 was conducted in a HT Tuffryn- and a Supor-spaced MFE electrolyzer respectively, and yielded over 67 mg protein product per hour. The protein product fluxes were stable throughout the running period.