Electrospun Nanofibrous Membranes for Lipase Immobilization

Electrospinning is a simple and versatile method for producing nanofibers from a variety of materials with fiber diameters ranging from several micrometers down to tens of nanometers. This project will fabricate nanofibrous membranes by electrospinning for immobilization of Candida cylindracea and Rhizopus arrhizus lipase. The electrospun fiber mats produced will have a high surface area because of the small diameter of the fibers. The high surface area, mechanical flexibility, and reusability provided by the nonwoven mat make it an excellent candidate for immobilizing lipases for use in organic solvents and bioreactors. Response surface methodology will be used to model the effects of five-level-five-factors on the diameter of electrospun polyacrylonitrile and silk fibroin nanofibers. Lipase will be immobilized to the nanofiber surface through covalent bindings after activation. For sol-gel entrapment of enzyme in nanofibers, a viscous solution of pre-hydrolyzed silane and lipase will be employed as spinning solution to generate lipase-immobilized nanofibers. The properties of enzyme-immobilized nanofibers will be characterized in detail in addition to their catalytic properties for ester synthesis. The immobilized lipase will be used for three types of reactions, including production of geranyl acetate and ethyl butyrate synthesis by esterification reactions in organic solvents; wax ester synthesis by esterification and alcoholysis reactions in organic and solvent-free systems; synthesis of s-ibuprofen ester prodrugs from racemic ibuprofen in organic solvents.

Project ID:PB9902-2191
External Project ID:NSC98-2221-E182-025-MY2