Measurements of Thermophysical Properties of Polyacrylamide Gel Used for Electrophoresis

Abstract

Density, heat capacity and thermal conductivity were measured for polyacrylamide gel which is used for electrophoresis. Dependence of the density and heat capacity on gel concentration is explained by a model in which the gel is assumed to be a two-component solution of polyacrylamide and water. Dependence of the thermal conductivity on gel concentration is examined by assuming that the gel is composed of multiple thin layers of these components. The specific properties of density, heat capacity and thermal conductivity of polyacrylamide in the gel were obtained from these models and correlated with temperature. These quantities are comparable to those of ordinary plastics. Variations of the thermophysical properties with gel concentration and temperature are well estimated by correlation equations based on the models in this study.