Continuous Flow Reactors from Microfluidic Compartmentalization of Enzymes within Inorganic Microparticles.

ABSTRACT: Compartmentalization and selective transport of molecular species are key aspects of chemical transformations inside the cell. In an artificial setting, the immobilization of a wide range of enzymes onto surfaces is commonly used for controlling their functionality but such approaches can restrict their efficacy and expose them to degrading environmental conditions, thus reducing their activity. Here, we employ an approach based on droplet microfluidics to generate enzyme-containing microparticles that feature an inorganic silica shell that forms a semipermeable barrier. We show that this porous shell permits selective diffusion of the substrate and product while protecting the enzymes from degradation by proteinases and maintaining their functionality over multiple reaction cycles. We ill

SUBMITTER: Hakala TA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7383928 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature