Polymer/Enzyme Composite Materials—Versatile Catalysts with Multiple Applications

Abstract

A significant interest was granted lately to enzymes, which are versatile catalysts characterized by natural origin, with high specificity and selectivity for particular substrates. Additionally, some enzymes are involved in the production of high-valuable products, such as antibiotics, while others are known for their ability to transform emerging contaminates, such as dyes and pesticides, to simpler molecules with a lower environmental impact. Nevertheless, the use of enzymes in industrial applications is limited by their reduced stability in extreme conditions and by their difficult recovery and reusability. Rationally, enzyme immobilization on organic or inorganic matrices proved to be one of the most successful innovative approaches to increase the stability of enzymatic catalysts. By the immobilization of enzymes on support materials, composite biocatalysts are obtained that pose an improved stability, preserving the enzymatic activity and some of the support material’s properties. Of high interest are the polymer/enzyme composites, which are obtained by the chemical or physical attachment of enzymes on polymer matrices. This review highlights some of the latest findings in the field of polymer/enzyme composites, classified according to the morphology of the resulting materials, following their most important applications.

The Immobilization of Laccase on Mixed Polymeric Microspheres for Methyl Red Decomposition

“…Regarding the support, a wide range of materials from metals to polymers can be shaped into various structures with sizes of quantum dots up to centimeters. The most effective method to immobilize laccase is by chemical linking to support, using agents such as glutaraldehyde, EDC, DCC, cyanuric chloride, and epichlorohydrin [14]. For a successful immobilization, both the cross-linker and support must be carefully chosen to avoid unwanted phenomena such as low immobilization yields, deactivation of the enzyme catalytic site, destruction of the protein structure, or even of the binding support [13,15].…”