Three Dimensional Immobilization of Beta-Galactosidase on a Silicon Surface (Preprint)
Abstract
Many alternative strategies to immobilize and stabilize enzymes have been investigated in recent years for applications in biosensors. The entrapment of enzymes within silica-based nanospheres formed through silicification reactions provides high loading capacities for enzyme immobilization, resulting in high volumetric activity and enhanced mechanical stability. Here we report a strategy for chemically-associating silica nanospheres containing entrapped enzyme to a silicon support. Beta-Galactosidase was used as a model enzyme due to its versatility as a biosensor for lactose. The immobilization strategy resulted in a three-dimensional network of silica attached directly at the silicon surface, providing a significant increase in surface area and a corresponding 3.5-fold increase in enzyme loading compared to enzyme attached directly at the surface. The immobilized beta-galactosidase prepared by silica deposition was stable and retained more than 80% of its initial activity after 10 days at 24 degrees C. The ability to generate three-dimensional structures with enhanced loading capacity for biosensing molecules offers the potential to substantially amplify biosensor sensitivity.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 2006
- Accession Number
- ADA464924
Entities
People
- Heather R. Luckarift
- Jim C. Spain
- Lorena Betancor
Organizations
- Georgia Tech