Enzyme-Immobilized Magnetic Nanoparticles

During rapid developments of nanoscience and nanotechnology in recent years, immobilization of enzyme molecules on nanostructured materials has received considerable attentions [1-3]. The benefits of immobilized enzymes are enhanced stability, repeated use, facile separation from reaction mixtures, and the prevention of enzyme contamination in products. Various nanostructures, generally providing a large surface area for the immobilization of enzyme molecules, have been actively developed for enzyme stabilization [1]. Compared with the corresponding bulk material, magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) possess unique property, namely superparamagnetism, in addition to their low toxicity and biocompatibility. We have prepared magnetic nanoparticles using water-in-oil (W/O) microemulsion method that leads to the formation of monodisperse nanoparticles. The silica coated magnetic nanoparticles were prepared in a microemulsion using hydrolysis and condensation of tetraethyl orthosilicate. Then, we investigate the attachment of the enzymes such as glucose oxidase, α-amylase and peroxidase to the surface of MNPs. FT-IR spectroscopy was used to ascertain the enzymes binding to the MNPs surface