Network structure covalent, formation

In protein microarrays, capture molecules need to be immobilized in a functional state on a solid support. In principle, the format of the assay system does not limit the choice of appropriate surface chemistry. The same immobilization procedure can be applied for both planar and bead-based systems. Proteins can be immobilized on various surfaces (Fig. 1) (12). Two-dimensional polystyrene, polylysine, aminosilane, or aldehyde, epoxy- or thiol group-coated surfaces can be used to immobilize proteins via noncovalent or covalent attachment (13,14). Three-dimensional supports like nitrocellulose or hydrogel-coated surfaces enable the immobilization of the proteins in a network structure. Larger quantities of proteins can be immobilized and kept in a functional state. Affinity binding reagents such as protein A, G, and L can be used to immobilize antibodies (15), streptavidin is used for biotinylated proteins (16), chelate for His-tagged proteins (17, 18), anti-GST antibodies for GST fusion proteins (19), and oligonucleotides for cDNA or mRNA-protein hybrids (20). 

The formation of weak secondary valence gels occurs in poor solvents, which will not prevent all secondary valence bonds between the polymer coils by solvation. The solvation equilibrium is temperature dependent, i.e., it increases at higher temperatures. (ii) The chemical gel is a network structure (crosslinked) formed by covalent hnks between polymer chains. Chemically crosslinked materials are formed by copolymerization, chemical modification, or radiation of linear polymers. The crosslinked network will swell but not dissolve, because the covalent CTossUnks cannot be broken by any solvent and the swelhng depends on the degree of crosslinking. 

In the creation of network structures by chemical bonding (covalent bonding), there is a method of (1) crosslinking at the same time as polymerization or (2) crosslinking by chemical reaction after linear polymer chains have been synthesized. The latter method can be further divided into the addition polymerization in the presence of divinyl conqjounds (radical polymerization, anionic polymerization, ionic polymerization, etc.) or the formation of crosslinked structures by polycondensation of multifunctional compoimds. In the addition reaction, free radical polymerization is generally utilized. In this free radical polymerization method, initiators are usually used, but light, radiation, and plasmas can also be used. 

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