Microporous hydrophobic Membranes for crystallization of biomolecules

Membrane crystallization is today recognized as an innovative and efficient method for enhancing crystallization of biomolecules, allowing the production of crystals with controlled shape, size distribution, and polymorphism. Membranes are used both to promote an efficient mass transfer of solvent for a better control of the supersaturation, and to activate heterogeneous nucleation for a reduced induction time. The development of membranes having ordered structures and tailored surface properties is, therefore, a key issue in order to fully exploit the potential of membrane crystallization. In this work, theoretical and experimental correlations between the physico-chemical properties of the membranes, kinetics of nucleation and the characteristics of the final product are presented.