AF4 MALS: A Powerful Tool for the Characterization of Biomacromolecules and Colloidal Particles

Biomolecules can cover a wide range of sizes, from small peptides of 103 Da to aggregates of antibodies having sizes of up to hundreds of nanometers. To facilitate characterization of molecules in a complex matrix, it is often of benefit to separate the different species prior to investigations. Asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation (AF4) is one instrumental technique that offers the possibility to physically separate biomolecules across a wide size range. AF4 can be used in combination with various types of detectors depending on the information required and becomes especially power when combined with multi-angle light scattering (MALS) enabling the determination of molecular weight and size. In this presentation examples are shown for different biomolecules, lipid vesicles, biopolymers and nanoparticles as well as what to consider when size characterizing such compounds.