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

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.

4 pages, 4 figures