Biomolecule@COF: Natural-artificial hybrid microcapsules for controllable biocatalysis

The assembly of biomacromole particles with artificial solid matrixes to fabricate hybrid composites has been demonstrated as an efficient strategy to promote both components' applications. Elaborating matrixes as well as appropriate assembly method is essential for optimal performances of the obtained natural-artificial composites. Herein, we fabricated the Cyt c@COF-42-B microcapsule through a sacrificial templating method and researched their adjustable biocatalysis by precisely adjusting the microenvironments of these assembled enzyme@COF particles. As a result, the hydrophobicity and mass transfer of the COF microcapsule can be controlled by modifying the different amounts of PEG moieties, thus improving the composite's bioactivity. We found that compared with pristine Cyt c@COF-42-B without PEG, the Cyt c@COF-42-B-PEG exhibited a similar to 2.2 times higher activity. This study provides a significant step toward designing customizable functional natural-artificial composites for enhanced biomacromolecule's activity. (C) 2021 Chinese Society of Particuology and Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Automated summary

By precisely adjusting the microenvironments to control the hydrophobicity and mass transfer of COF microcapsules, the bioactivity of the composite material can be improved.