Uses

Medical uses

• PEG is the basis of a number of laxatives.Whole bowel irrigation with polyethylene glycol and added electrolytes is used for bowel preparation before surgery or colonoscopy.
• PEG is also used as an excipient in many pharmaceutical products.
• When attached to various protein medications, polyethylene glycol allows a slowed clearance of the carried protein from the blood.
• The possibility that PEG could be used to fuse axons is being explored by researchers studying peripheral nerve and spinal cord injury.

Chemical uses

Because PEG is a hydrophilic molecule, it has been used to passivate microscope glass slides for avoiding non-specific sticking of proteins in single-molecule fluorescence studies.

• Polyethylene glycol has a low toxicity and is used in a variety of products.The polymer is used as a lubricating coating for various surfaces in aqueous and non-aqueous environments.
• Since PEG is a flexible, water-soluble polymer, it can be used to create very high osmotic pressures (on the order of tens of atmospheres). It also is unlikely to have specific interactions with biological chemicals. These properties make PEG one of the most useful molecules for applying osmotic pressure in biochemistry and biomembranes experiments, in particular when using the osmotic stress technique.
• Polyethylene glycol is also commonly used as a polar stationary phase for gas chromatography, as well as a heat transfer fluid in electronic testers.
• PEG has also been used to preserve objects that have been salvaged from underwater, as was the case with the warship Vasa in Stockholm, and similar cases. It replaces water in wooden objects, making the wood dimensionally stable and preventing warping or shrinking of the wood when it dries. In addition, PEG is used when working with green wood as a stabilizer, and to prevent shrinkage.
• PEG has been used to preserve the painted colors on Terracotta Warriors unearthed at a UNESCO World Heritage site in China.These painted artifacts were created during the Qin Shi Huang Di dynasty (first emperor of China). Within 15 seconds of the terra-cotta pieces being unearthed during excavations, the lacquer beneath the paint begins to curl after being exposed to the dry Xian air. The paint would subsequently flake off in about four minutes. The German Bavarian State Conservation Office developed a PEG preservative that when immediately applied to unearthed artifacts has aided in preserving the colors painted on the pieces of clay soldiers.
• PEG is often used (as an internal calibration compound) in mass spectrometry experiments, with its characteristic fragmentation pattern allowing accurate and reproducible tuning.
• PEG derivatives, such as narrow range ethoxylates, are used as surfactants.
• PEG has been used as the hydrophilic block of amphiphilic block copolymers used to create some polymersomes.
• PEG has also been used as a propellent on the UGM-133M Trident II Missile, in service with the United States Air Force.

Biological uses

• PEG is commonly used as a crowding agent in in vitro assays to mimic highly crowded cellular conditions.
• PEG is commonly used as a precipitant for plasmid DNA isolation and protein crystallization. X-ray diffraction of protein crystals can reveal the atomic structure of the proteins.
• PEG is used to fuse two different types of cells, most often B-cells and myelomas in order to create hybridomas. César Milstein and Georges J. F. Köhler originated this technique, which they used for antibody production, winning a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1984.
• Polymer segments derived from PEG polyols impart flexibility to polyurethanes for applications such as elastomeric fibers (spandex) and foam cushions.
• In microbiology, PEG precipitation is used to concentrate viruses. PEG is also used to induce complete fusion (mixing of both inner and outer leaflets) in liposomes reconstituted in vitro.
• Gene therapy vectors (such as viruses) can be PEG-coated to shield them from inactivation by the immune system and to de-target them from organs where they may build up and have a toxic effect. The size of the PEG polymer has been shown to be important, with larger polymers achieving the best immune protection.
• PEG is a component of stable nucleic acid lipid particles (SNALPs) used to package siRNA for use in vivo.
• In blood banking, PEG is used as a potentiator to enhance detection of antigens and antibodies.
• When working with phenol in a laboratory situation, PEG 300 can be used on phenol skin burns to deactivate any residual phenol (some references are required).
• In biophysics, polyethylene glycols are the molecules of choice for the functioning ion channels diameter studies, because in aqueous solutions they have a spherical shape and can block ion channel conductance.

Commercial uses

• PEG is the basis of many skin creams (as cetomacrogol) and personal lubricants (frequently combined with glycerin).
• PEG is used in a number of toothpastes^[4] as a dispersant. In this application, it binds water and helps keep xanthan gum uniformly distributed throughout the toothpaste.
• PEG is also under investigation for use in body armor, and in tattoos to monitor diabetes.
• In low-molecular-weight formulations (e.g. PEG 400), it is used in Hewlett-Packard designjet printers as an ink solvent and lubricant for the print heads.
• PEG is also used as an anti-foaming agent in food and drinks– its INS number is 1521or E1521 in the EU.

Industrial uses

• A nitrate ester-plasticized polyethylene glycol (NEPE-75) is used in Trident II submarine-launched ballistic missile solid rocket fuel.
• Dimethyl ethers of PEG are the key ingredient of Selexol, a solvent used by coal-burning, integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power plants to remove carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide from the gas waste stream.
• PEG has been used as the gate insulator in an electric double-layer transistor to induce superconductivity in an insulator.
• PEG is also used as a polymer host for solid polymer electrolytes. Although not yet in commercial production, many groups around the globe are engaged in research on solid polymer electrolytes involving PEG, with the aim of improving their properties, and in permitting their use in batteries, electro-chromic display systems, and other products in the future.
• PEG is injected into industrial processes to reduce foaming in separation equipment.
• PEG is used as a binder in the preparation of technical ceramics.

Recreational uses

• PEG is used to extend the size and durability of very large soap bubbles.
• PEG is the main ingredient in many personal lubricants.

【File Download】Members only: you must log in to the member to download; other, you can download directly, thank you!