General approach for partitioning and phase separation in macromolecular coexisting phases;




Varma, Vikki Anand; Scacchi, Alberto

PublisherAmerican Physical Society (APS)

2026

 Physical Review E

065414

113

6

2470-0045

2470-0053

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1103/v6nd-87cd

https://doi.org/10.1103/v6nd-87cd

https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/527029136

https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.14392v1



Partitioning of (bio)materials in polymeric mixtures is a key phenomenon both in cellular environments, as well as in industrial applications. In cells, macromolecules are distributed among distinct biomolecular phases. The coexistence of polymeric aqueous phases in multicomponent systems has been widely exploited for the extraction and purification of (bio)materials from aqueous environments. Despite their relevance, key physical and chemical properties controlling the phase behavior of these complex systems are still lacking. Here, we have developed a classical density functional theory approach for describing the phase coexistence and partitioning of an arbitrary number of polymers and suspended materials. As a case example, we focus on a binary mixture of phase separating polymers in which a third material is dispersed. We explore the effect of size ratios and affinities between the different materials and address their distribution and coexisting densities, and find optimal conditions for partitioning.


This work was supported by the Jane ja Aatos Erkon Säätiö under Grant No. 230052 (A.S.). Computational resources by CSC IT Center for Finland are also gratefully acknowledged. The work was conducted within the #SUSMAT profiling measure at the University of Turku, Finland. We are also thankful to Prof. A. Archer for fruitful discussions.

V.A.V. carried out the work under the supervision of A.S. and wrote the first draft of the manuscript. A.S. conceived the idea and secured the funding for the work. All authors contributed to writing and reviewing.


Last updated on 17/08/2026 08:42:39 AM