Cation exchange chromatography membrane of Poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol) nanofiber/sulfonated polystyrene microsphere composite for lysozyme isolation

Lysozyme, as widely used bacteriostatic enzyme, the rapid and low-cost isolation of lysozyme with high purity was the basis and premise of its application. In this work, a facile approach of spray coating was proposed to engineer composite membranes consisted of sulfonated polystyrene microspheres and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol) nanofibers. The sulfonic acid groups offer strong interaction between the ligand and lysozyme, endowing high lysozyme adsorption capacity. And simultaneously, the porous channels of nanofibrous mem-branes guarantee high water flux. The FTIR and XPS results indicate the incorporation of sulfonated polystyrene spheres. The EVOH/SPS composite membranes exhibit both high water permeability and lysozyme adsorption capacity. Importantly, the constructed chromatography columns possess high performance of water flux with 9172 L h -1 m- 2, and excellent adsorption capacity at static and dynamic state, revealing enormous potential for application.

Automated summary

In this study, a facile spray coating approach was proposed to engineer composite membranes composed of sulfonated polystyrene microspheres and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol) nanofibers. The sulfonic acid groups in the membranes provided strong interaction with lysozyme, resulting in high lysozyme adsorption capacity. The inclusion of sulfonated polystyrene spheres in the nanofibrous membranes was confirmed by FTIR and XPS analysis. The EVOH/SPS composite membranes exhibited high water permeability and lysozyme adsorption capacity, making them suitable for application in chromatography columns with excellent water flux and adsorption performance.