Blotting Membrane

Proteins are transferred from the gel to blotting membranes to make them amenable to immunodetection during western blotting. A variety of membrane types is available, each offering key attributes to suit particular experimental conditions. Nitrocellulose and PDVF (polyvinylidene fluoride) are the most frequently used types of blotting membranes. Nitrocellulose is one of the first membranes used for western blotting and is still a popular membrane for this procedure. Nitrocellulose, while less sensitive than PVDF, has lower background noise and is more suitable for detecting proteins of low molecular weight. PVDF membranes have high thermal stability, good chemical resistance, high hydrophobicity, and good mechanical strength. PVDF membranes are an ideal support for N-terminal sequencing, amino acid analysis, and immunoassay of blotted proteins (western blotting).