Adsorption and activity of proteins onto mesoporous silica

The adsorption and activity of cytochrome c onto two different MCM-41 materials, MCM-41/28 and MCM-41/45 with average pore diameters of 28 and 45 Angstrom respectively, is presented. Nitrogen gas adsorption/desorption isotherms before and after protein adsorption, and peroxidative activity profiles of the adsorbed protein demonstrate that the protein is adsorbed into the mesoporosity and remains active. The adsorption of a range of different proteins onto both MCM-41/28 and 45 shows how protein properties affect adsorption.