Perspective of Recent Progress in Immobilization of Enzymes

The commercial application of biocatalysts depends on the development of effective methods of immobilization. The immobilization of enzymes greatly increases the stability of enzymes and eases the burden of enzyme cost and thus, is widely pursued for efficient, selective, and environmentally friendly catalysis. This brief perspective focuses on recent development in the area of enzyme immobilization in porous materials. Recent work regarding the immobilization of enzymes in inorganic mesoporous materials as well as the modifications to those materials is summarized in this paper. The configuration of supported enzyme as membranes and fibers may facilitate their application in areas that require a biocatalytic process. Enzymes immobilized in or on fibrous membranes provide high surface area for high throughput biocatalysis. These membrane bioreactors also allow for biotransformations to be carried out within a continuous flow process while maintaining enzyme stability under operating conditions as a result from the enzyme immobilization. A summary of efforts to prepare immobilized enzymes in fibers and electrospun fibers will also be discussed.