Abstract
Horseradish peroxidase has been used as a biocatalyst to synthesize a polymeric material from alkyl-substituted phenols. The synthesis is carried out in a surfactant-based microemulsion environment, with the monomer partitioned at the oil/water interface. The spherical nature of the microemulsion nanodroplets may be acting as a template for the polymer synthesis. The resultant polymer particles are spherical and typically in the submicron size range. The characteristics of the morphology development are described. The templating effect of the surfactant environment becomes more evident when the polymer particles are fully dissolved in a suitable solvent and refolded in the presence of surfactant. Interestingly, submicron-sized spherical particles are obtained only in the presence of surfactant, and particles of arbitrary morphology are seen in the absence of surfactant. Aspects of morphology development leading to the preparation of polymeriron oxide composites are described.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Halliwell, B. and Gutteridge, J. M. C. (1989),Free Radicals in Biology and Medicine, Clarendon Press, Oxford.
Karayigitoglu, C., Xu, X., Webb, P., John, V., Gonzalez, R., Akkara, J., and Kaplan D. (1993),Preprints of the ACS (Division of Polymeric Materials) Meeting, Denver, CO.
Xu, X., Ayyagari, M., Tata, M., John, V. T., and McPherson, G. L. (1993).J. Phys. Chem. 97, 11,350–11,353.
Madhusudhan Rao, A., John, V. T., Gonzalez, R. D., Akkara, J. A., and Kaplan, D. L. (1993),Biotech. Bioeng. 41, 531–540.
Ziolo, R. F., Giannelis E. P., Weinstein, B. A., O'Horo, M. P., Ganguly, B. N., Mehrotra, V., Russel, M. W. and Huffman, D. R. (1992),Science 257, 219–223.
Zhang, J. H., Birdwhistell, T. L., and O'Connor, C. J.,J. Solid State Commun. 74, 443–446.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kommareddi, N.S., Tata, M., Karayigitoglu, C. et al. Enzymatic polymerizations using surfactant microstructures and the preparation of polymer-ferrite composites. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 51, 241–252 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02933427
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02933427