Thermoreactive water-soluble polymers, nonionic surfactants, and hydrogels as reagents in biotechnology.

Thermoprecipitating polymers such as poly (N-isopropylacrylamide), poly(N-vinyl caprolactam), and some ethylene oxide-containing surfactants appear to be suitable for developing new separation systems to complement traditional precipitation, chromatography, and extraction of biological molecules. The nature of thermally induced phase separation of polymers and nonionic surfactants is discussed and examples are given. Covalent coupling of an enzyme to a thermoprecipitable polymer results in a biocatalyst which combines the qualities of soluble and immobilized enzymes. Biocatalysts of this type can be separated from reaction media by precipitation after temperature increase. The use of thermoprecipitating polymer-protein conjugates in immunoassays overcomes one of the shortcomings of traditional methods with solid sorbent-linked antigen or antibody-diffusional limitations. Thermoreactive hydrogels produced by crosslinking of thermoprecipitating polymers can be successfully used for concentrating macromolecules or microbe-rich slurries. Alternate volume changes of hydrogels on heating and cooling produce a "hydraulic pump" which can enhance the productivity of an immobilized biocatalyst. Hydrogels could be used to control reaction or diffusion rates by a thermal feedback mechanism.