Stimuli-responsive polymeric materials for separation of biomolecules.

Stimuli-responsive polymeric (SRP) materials undergo changes in their physical morphologies and chemical properties in response to small changes in their external environment, such as temperature, pH or light. When immobilised, SRP materials, fabricated in various formats and compositions, provide new opportunities for the separation of products generated by the biotechnology industry. This Current Opinion highlights the potential of these functional materials for the capture, purification and analysis of these products via batch capture methods, column chromatography or electrophoresis, drawing on break-through developments achieved particularly over the last five years.