Enzyme immobilization and biocatalysis of polysiloxanes

Lipases have been proven to be versatile and efficient biocatalysts which can be used in a broad variety of esterification, transesterification, and ester hydrolysis reactions. Due to the high chemo-, regio-, and stereo-selectivity and the mild conditions of lipase-catalyzed reactions, the vast potential of these biocatalysts for use in industrial applications has been increasingly recognized. Polysiloxanes (silicones) are well known for their unique physico-chemical properties and can be prepared in the form of fluids, elastomers, gels and resins for a wide variety of applications. However, the enzymatic synthesis of silicone polyesters and copolymers is largely unexplored.In the present investigations, an immobilized Candida antarctica lipase B (CALB) on macroporous acrylic resin beads (Novozym-435 RTM) has been successfully employed as a catalyst to synthesize silicone polyesters and copolymers under mild reaction conditions. The silicone aliphatic polyesters and the poly(dimethylsiloxane)--poly(ethylene glycol) (PDMS-PEG) copolymers were synthesized in the bulk (without using a solvent), while the silicone aromatic polyesters, the silicone aromatic polyamides and the poly(epsilon-caprolactone)--poly(dimethylsiloxane)--poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL-PDMS-PCL) triblock copolymers were synthesized in toluene. The synthesized silicone polyesters and copolymers were characterized by Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Wide Angle X-ray Diffraction (WAXD).This dissertation also describes a methodology for physical immobilization of the enzyme pepsin from Porcine stomach mucosa in silicone elastomers utilizing condensation-cure room temperature vulcanization (RTV) of silanol-terminated poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS). The activity and the stability of free pepsin and pepsin immobilized in silicone elastomers were studied with respect to pH, temperature, cross-link density, organic solvents and storage time using a hemoglobin assay. A notable finding was that free pepsin had zero activity in neutral buffer solution (pH 7) after incubation for 5 hours, while pepsin immobilized in the silicone elastomers was found to retain more than 70% of its maximum normalized activity. These results demonstrate that cross-linked poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) is a promising support material for the physical entrapment of hydrolytic enzymes such as pepsin.The Novozym-435 has been widely employed as a biocatalyst for esterification and transesterification of a variety of organic compounds including synthesis of polyesters and polylactones due to its high catalytic-efficiency and high thermal stability in organic media. However, the Novozym-435 was found to have poor mechanical stability and the enzyme was found to leach out from the resin into the organic media. In the present research work, efforts were made to solve the above two problems by chemical immobilization of CALB on surface modified porous silica gel particles. The surface of the porous silica gel particles was silanized using (gamma-Aminopropyl)triethoxysilane and then the CALB was chemically crosslinked onto the surface of the silica gel particles using glutaraldehyde. Although the thermal stability of the CALB immobilized silica gel particles was found to be lower compared to that of Novozym-435. The CALB immobilized silica gel particles showed higher enzymatic activity and higher mechanical stability compared to that of Novozym-435.