Aqueous Two-Phase Systems: A GeneralOverview

Phase separation in solutions containing polymer mixtures is a very common phenomenon; in fact, miscibility of the polymer mixtures is an exception (1 ). Most hydrophilic polymer pairs are incompatible in aqueous solutions yielding two coexisting phases in equilibrium with each other, with each of the phases containing predominantly water and one of the polymer types. It is worth noting that the association of unlike polymer species into a polymer-rich phase coexisting with a polymer-poor phase, referred to as complex coacervation can also occur. However, it is the former type of phase systems that form the subject of this book.