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Freezing, drying, and/or vitrification of membrane-solute-water systems.

Author(s) : WOLFE J., BRYANT G.

Type of article: Article

Summary

Membranes are often damaged by freezing and/or dehydration, and this damage may be reduced by solutes. In many cases, these phenomena can be explained by the physical behaviour of membrane-solute-water systems. Both solutes and membranes reduce the freezing temperature of water, although their effects are not simply additive. The dehydration of membranes induces large mechanical stresses in the membranes, producing a range of physical deformations and changes in phase behaviour. Stresses and strains are generally reduced by osmotic and possibly other effects of solutes, provided of course that the solutes can approach the membrane in question. Membrane stresses may also be affected by vitrification between membranes. Many of the differences in the effects of different solutes can be explained by differences in crystallization, vitrification, volumetric, partitioning, and permeability properties of solutes.

Details

  • Original title: Freezing, drying, and/or vitrification of membrane-solute-water systems.
  • Record ID : 2001-0546
  • Languages: English
  • Source: Cryobiology - vol. 39 - n. 2
  • Publication date: 1999/09

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