Using Coacervates to Maximize Enzymatic Activity at Interfaces for Heavy Metal Detection
Abstract
Complex coacervates have emerged as effective stabilizers for the encapsulation of enzymes and other proteins, forming micelles that can protect the proteins in solution for applications from biocatalysis to drug delivery. We have recently shown that these coacervate materials may also be coated onto surfaces, producing complex coacervate films that contain protein immobilized in block copolymer nanodomains. Using one-step flow coating processes, this new technology provides a platform for protein surface immobilization that can address several of the key drawbacks of traditional covalent protein tethering: low protein density and a lack of protein stability. While protein-polymer coacervation is broadly applicable to most proteins, the design principles governing stability and activity are poorly understood. Using enzymes for heavy metal sensing as model systems, this proposal will explore three specific questions relevant to understanding the performance of these materials. It will investigate how the density of charge in a coacervate material affects the amount of protein that can be loaded into the material explore the mechanisms by which the functional groups in the coacervate phase affect the stability and activity of the protein, and understand how the nanostructure impacts substrate accessibility within surface coatings. These findings will be used to produce demonstration coatings and processes that illustrate the catalytic and sensing improvements achieved by advances in basic science. The resulting science will yield new design principles that enable protein-polymer coacervates to be used as active layers in C-WMD applications of specific interest for heavy metal sensing.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- May 26, 2016
- Source ID
- HDTRA11610038
Entities
People
- Bradley D Olsen
Organizations
- Defense Threat Reduction Agency
- Harvard University