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Understanding natural and synthetic ice-active materials to aid in the development of new cryoprotective formulations
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Fayter, Alice E. R. (2020) Understanding natural and synthetic ice-active materials to aid in the development of new cryoprotective formulations. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.
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Official URL: http://webcat.warwick.ac.uk/record=b3519356~S15
Abstract
Ice formation and growth is of interest to many different fields, including food science, mechanical engineering, agriculture and cryobiology, however little is understood about the underlying mechanisms behind the nucleation and growth processes. The need to increase our understanding of ice and how it is affected by compounds with ‘antifreeze’ properties is fundamental to improving techniques for the storage of biologics. Nature has evolved to contend with a range of harsh climates; in particular, they produce cryoprotectants enabling them to survive sub-zero temperatures. Inspired by Nature’s ingenious response a range of synthetic protein mimics have been developed, which have ice growth inhibition activity. The scientific principles behind ice nucleation and growth, and the materials that affect them, as well as current techniques for analysis are detailed in Chapter 1.
This thesis reports on ice-activity for a range of compounds, studying their micro- and macroscopic effects on ice, as well as any potential cryoprotective capabilities, with the view to further fundamental understanding of ice growth inhibition and aid in the development of future potent cryoprotectants. A diverse range of methods including microscopy, X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (SSNMR) were used to aid in characterisation and analysis by monitoring structural changes as well as the antifreeze macromolecule:ice interface.
Chapter 2 investigates cryostorage of a range of biological materials using an organic solvent-free formulation consisting of an ice growth inhibiting polymer and a secondary bulking agent. Chapter 3 details X-ray diffraction (XRD) as a new method for studying ice growth continuously as a function of time, confirming its potential as a supplementary tool to study ice growth. Chapter 4 builds upon results from microscopy and XRD-based methods by using solid state nuclear magnetic resonance (SSNMR) to enable the study of molecular-level details experimentally. SSNMR provides further evidence for the ‘turning on’ of ice recrystallisation activity (IRI) for poly(vinyl alcohol) and ice-binding for a variety of compounds. Chapter 5 focuses on ice nucleation specifically. A range of previously untested materials that feature design motifs associated with nucleators reported on in the literature were examined for ice nucleation effectiveness and IRI activity, finding none to inhibit ice growth, and that structure alone is not enough to infer nucleation effectiveness.
| Item Type: | Thesis or Dissertation (PhD) | ||||
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| Subjects: | Q Science > QC Physics Q Science > QD Chemistry Q Science > QH Natural history > QH301 Biology |
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| Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Ice crystals -- Growth, Ice nuclei, Cells -- Cryopreservation, Microorganisms -- Cryopreservation, Cryochemistry | ||||
| Official Date: | October 2020 | ||||
| Dates: |
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| Institution: | University of Warwick | ||||
| Theses Department: | Department of Chemistry | ||||
| Thesis Type: | PhD | ||||
| Publication Status: | Unpublished | ||||
| Supervisor(s)/Advisor: | Gibson, Matthew I. | ||||
| Sponsors: | European Research Council | ||||
| Format of File: | |||||
| Extent: | xliii, 314 leaves : illustrations (some colour) | ||||
| Language: | eng | ||||
| Related URLs: |
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