화학공학소재연구정보센터
Macromolecular Rapid Communications, Vol.35, No.9, 868-874, 2014
Nanofi brillar Peptide Hydrogels for the Immobilization of Biocatalysts for Chemical Transformations
Enzymes are attractive, green alternatives to chemical catalysts within the industrial sector, but their robustness to environmental conditions needs optimizing. Here, an enzyme is tagged chemically and recombinantly with a self-assembling peptide that allows the conjugate to spontaneously assemble with pure peptide to form -sheet-rich nanofibers decorated with tethered enzyme. Above a critical concentration, these fibers entangle and form a 3D hydrogel. The immobilized enzyme catalyzes chemical transformations and critically its stability is increased significantly where it retains activity after exposure to high temperatures (90 degrees C) and long storage times (up to 12 months).