| Summary: | A strategy for the bioconjugation of the enzyme Candida antarctica lipase B onto titania ceramic membranes with varied pore sizes (15, 50, 150, and 300 kDa) was successfully performed. The relationship between the membrane morphology, i.e.,the pore size of the ceramic support, and bioconjugation performance was considered. Owing to the dimension of the enzyme (~33 kDa), the morphology of the ceramics allowed (50, 150, and 300 kDa) or did not allow (15 kDa) the entrance of the enzyme molecules into the porous structure. Such a strategy made it possible to better understand the changes in the material (morphology) and physicochemical features (wettability, adhesiveness, and surface charge) of the samples, which were systematically examined. The silane functionalization and enzyme immobilization were accomplished via the covalent route. The samples were characterized after each stage of the modification, which was very informative from the material point of view. As a consequence of the modification, significant changes in the contact angle, roughness, adhesion, and zeta potential were observed. For instance, for the 50 kDa membrane, the contact angle increased from 29.1 ± 1.5° for the pristine sample to 72.3 ± 1.5° after silane attachment; subsequently, it was reduced to 57.2 ± 1.5° after the enzyme immobilization. Finally, the contact angle of the bioconjugated membrane used in the enzymatic process rose to 92.9 ± 1.5°. By roughness (Sq) controlling, the following amendments were noticed: for the pristine 50 kDa membrane, Sq = 1.87 ± 0.21 µm; after silanization, Sq = 2.33 ± 0.30 µm; after enzyme immobilization, Sq = 2.74 ± 0.26 µm; and eventually, after the enzymatic process, Sq = 2.37 ± 0.27 µm. The adhesion work of the 50 kDa samples was equal to 136.41 ± 2.20 mN m−1 (pristine membrane), 94.93 ± 2.00 mN m−1 (with silane), 112.24 ± 1.90 mN m−1 (with silane and enzyme), and finally, 69.12 ± 1.40 mN m−1 (after the enzymatic process). The materials and physicochemical features changed substantially, particularly ...
|
|---|