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Article: Porous ceramic sorts proteins magnetically
- Article from:
- Chemical Engineering Progress
- Article date:
- June 1, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright American Institute of Chemical Engineers Jun 2003. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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By incorporating tiny magnetic particles of iron oxide into the walls of porous ceramic structures in a simple self-assembly technique, researchers at Cornell Univ. (Ithaca, NY) have produced a material that could be used to separate proteins or to catalyze reactions.
Ulrich Wiesner, professor of materials science, and his colleagues had previously created porous structures by mixing organic diblock copolymers with silica-type ceramics. Under the right conditions, the materials self-assembled into polymer channels surrounded by a polymer-ceramic composite. This was calcined by exposure to extreme heat, which vaporized the organic components and left a ceramic honeycombed with tiny passages, ...