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Non-equilibrium behavior of lysozyme solutions: beads, clusters and gels

H. Sedgwick·K. Kroy·A. Salonen·M. B. Robertson·S. U. Egelhaaf·W. C. K. Poon
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Abstract

Observation of salt-induced aggregation of lysozyme at pH = 4.5, 22$^{\circ}$C by optical microscopy revealed four regimes: bicontinuous texture, `beads', large aggregates, and transient gelation. The interaction of a metastable liquid-liquid binodal and an ergodic to non-ergodic transition boundary inside the equilibrium crystallization region can explain our findings. Lysozyme data at -2$^{\circ}$C, as well as many literature results, are consistent with the relative movement of these boundaries.

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H. Sedgwick, K. Kroy, A. Salonen, M. B. Robertson, S. U. Egelhaaf, W. C. K. Poon. 2003-09-26. Non-equilibrium behavior of lysozyme solutions: beads, clusters and gels. https://arxiv.org/abs/cond-mat/0309616

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