Preparation and characterization of stable chitosan nanofibrous membrane for lipase immobilization

Nanofibrous membrane with a fiber diameter of 80-150 nm was fabricated from mixed chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) solution by an electrospinning process. Field emission scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope were used to characterize the morphology of the nanofibrous membrane. It was found that chitosan nanofibrous membrane with stabilized morphology could be prepared through removing most of PVA from the nascent one with 0.5 M NaOH aqueous solution. This treatment also resulted in an obvious decrease in fiber diameter. The stabilized chitosan nanofibrous membrane was explored as support for enzyme immobilization due to the characteristics of excellent biocompatibility, high surface/volume ratio, and large porosity. Lipase from Candida rugosa was immobilized on the nanofibrous membrane using glutaraldehyde (GA) as coupling reagent. The properties of the immobilized lipase were assayed and compared with the free one. Results showed that, the observed lipase loading on this nanofibrous membrane was up to 63.6 mg/g and the activity retention of the immobilized lipase was 49.8% under the optimum condition. The pH and thermal stabilities of lipase were improved after it was immobilized on the chitosan nanofibrous membrane. In addition, the experimental results of reusability and storage stability indicated that the residual activities of the immobilized lipase were 46% after 10 cycles and 56.2% after 30 days, which were obviously higher than that of the free one.     

Stabilization of electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol) nanofibrous mats in aqueous solutions

<正>The stability ofpoly(vinyl alcohol)(PVA) nanofibrous mats in water media was improved by post-electrospinning treatments.Bifunctional glutaraldehyde(GA) in methanol was used as a crosslinking agent to stabilize PVA nanofiber,but fiber twinning was observed frequently,and the highly porous structure of PVA nanofibrous mats was destroyed when the crosslinked fiber was soaked in water.To overcome this shortcoming,chitosan(CS) was introduced into the PVA spinning solution to prepare PVA/CS composite nanofibers.Their treatment in GA/methanol solution could retain the fiber morphology of PVA/CS nanofibers and porous structure of PVA/CS nanofibrous mats even if they were soaked in aqueous solutions for 1 month.Scanning electron microscopy(SEM),X-ray diffraction(XRD),thermal gravimetric analysis(TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry(DSC) were applied to characterize the physicochemical structure and thermal properties of PVA nanofibers.It was found that the water resistance of PVA nanofibrous mats was enhanced because of the improvement of the degree of crosslinking and crystallinity in the electrospun PVA fibers after soaking in GA/methanol solution.     

Functionalized electrospun mats from styrene-maleic anhydride copolymers for immobilization of acetylcholinesterase

A series of electrospun mats of styrene-maleic anhydride copolymers has been functionalized by modification with two types of spacers - a polymer with a flexible hydrophilic polyether chain (Jeffamine® ED) and a rigid low-molecular-weight spacer (р-phenylenediamine). The successful modification of the microfibrous mats with these bifunctional compounds has been proved by ATR-FTIR and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses. In a further step, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) has been covalently immobilized onto the modified mats using glutaraldehyde as a binding agent. The amount of bound protein and the specific activity of the immobilized AChE have been determined. The highest activity has been displayed by AChE covalently bound to Jeffamine-modified microfibrous mats. Moreover, the immobilized AChE is characterized by enhanced thermal and storage stability as compared to the free enzyme.     

Poly (N-isopropylacrylamide)/poly (ethylene oxide) blend nanofibrous scaffolds: thermo-responsive carrier for controlled drug release

A facile electrospinning method has been utilized to fabricate poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM)/poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO) blend nanofibers having the mean fiber diameters from approximately 250 to 380 nm. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed that the morphology and diameter distribution of the nanofibrous scaffolds can be easily modulated by changing the weight ratio of PNIPAM/PEO in electrospinning solution. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) demonstrated that there were interactions between the molecules of PNIPAM and PEO. Vitamin B12 was chosen as a hydrophilic model drug for in situ encapsulation in PNIPAM/PEO blend nanofibrous scaffolds. The rate of drug release can be controlled by adjusting the weight ratio of PNIPAM/PEO, the temperature of release medium and the drug loading amount. It is suggested that the blend nanofibrous scaffold could be used as a new thermo-responsive matrix for the entrapment and controlled release of drugs.     

Organic semiconductors-coated polyacrylonitrile(PAN) electrospun nanofibrous mats for highly sensitive chemosensors via evanescent-wave guiding effect

We report the first use of organic semiconductors（OSCs）-coated PAN nanofibrous mats as highly responsive fluorescence quenching-based chemosensors for 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene（TNT） and H₂O2 detection in vapor phase.Conjugated polymers,poly（triphenylaminealt-biphenylene vinylene）（TPA- PBPV）,and small organic molecules,1 -boronic-ester pyrene and 1,6-bisboron-ester pyrene,were coated onto the nanofibers fabricated by electrospinning.By introducing the nanofibers structure,a 9-fold fluorescence intensity enhancement and a 14-fold sensitivity enhancement were achieved,which could be attributed to its high area-to-volume ratio,excellent gas permeability,and more importantly,the evanescent-wave effect occurred once the diameters of the fibers were small enough.Since the organic semiconductors coated onto the nanofibrous mats could be replaced by other functional materials,the nanofibers-enhanced detection strategies could be extended to more general domains including chemical and environmental detection.     

Assessment of the parameters influencing the fiber characteristics of electrospun poly(ethyl methacrylate) membranes

This work evaluates the influence of electrospinning process parameters on the mean diameter and standard deviation of fiber diameters in electrospun poly(ethyl methacrylate) (PEMA). Processing conditions were selected using Taguchi’s statistical method. Oriented and unoriented electrospun mats with good mechanical properties were produced and demonstrated with tensile stress–strain diagrams. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) experiments showed that the polymer chains were forced into non-equilibrium conformations due to electrospinning. Enthalpic recovery during a heating scan is shown by an endothermic peak in the initial DSC heating scan that disappears in subsequent heating scans. An increase in the glass transition temperature with respect to PEMA films shows that the polymer is not equilibrated by heating above glass transition. Cell attachment was tested with MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblastic cells cultured for short time periods on the electrospun mats. It is shown that the cells present less extended morphology with more diffuse perimetral focal adhesions than cells cultured on flat substrates. A tendency of cells to align in the direction of the substrate fibers in oriented electrospun membranes was also found.     

Immobilization of cellulase in nanofibrous PVA membranes by electrospinning

Electrospinning is a nanofiber-forming process by which either polymer solution or melt is charged to high voltages. With high specific surface area and porous structure, electrospun fibrous membranes are excellent candidates for immobilization of enzymes. In this paper, immobilization of cellulase in nanofibrous poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) membranes was studied by electrospinning. PVA and cellulase were dissolved together in an acetic acid buffer (pH 4.6) and electrospun into nanofibers with diameter of around 200 nm. The nanofibrous membranes were crosslinked by glutaraldehyde vapor and examined catalytic efficiency for biotransformations. The activity of immobilized cellulase in PVA nanofibers was over 65% of that of the free enzyme. Nanofibers were superior to casting films from the same solution for immobilization of cellulase. The activity of immobilized cellulase descended with ascending in enzyme loading efficiency and crosslinking time, which retained 36% its initial activity after six cycles of reuse.     

Characterization of poly(methyl methacrylate) nanofiber mats by electrospinning process

In this study, the aim is to describe the influence of electrospinning parameters on the morphology, the water wetting property and dye adsorption property of poly(methyl methacrylate) nanofiber mats. Specifically, the effects of solution concentration, solvent type, applied voltage, distance between the electrodes and particulate reinforcement on the diameter and shape of the nanofibers were investigated. All poly(methyl methacrylate) nanofiber mats contained beaded nanofiber structures. With increasing the polymer solution concentration, the average fiber diameter also increased. Poly(methyl methacrylate) nanofiber mat electrospun from dimethylformamide solution resulted in thicker fibers when compared with the mat electrospun from acetone solution. Increasing the electric potential difference between the collector and the syringe tip did not increase the average fiber diameter. Besides increasing the distance between the electrodes resulted in a decrease in the average fiber diameter. When compared with PMMA nanofiber mat, thicker fibers were obtained with silica nanoparticles reinforced nanofiber mat. According to the water contact angle measurements, all poly(methyl methacrylate) nanofiber mats revealed hydrophobic surface property. PMMA nanofiber mat with the highest water contact angle gave rise to the highest dye adsorption capacity.     

Electrospun Poly(acrylonitrile-co-acrylic acid) Nanofibrous Membranes for Catalase Immobilization:Effect of Porphyrin Filling on the Enzyme Activity

Porphyrin-filled nanofibrous membranes were facilely prepared by electrospinning of the mixtures of poly(acrylonitrile-co-acrylic acid)(PANCAA) and porphyrins. 5,10,15,20-Tetraphenylporphyrin(TPP) and its metal-loderivatives(ZnTPP and CuTPP) were studied as filling mediators for the immobilization of redox enzyme. Results indicate that the introduction of TPP, ZnTPP and CuTPP improves the retention activity of the immobilized catalase. Among these three porphyrins, the ZnTPP-filled PANCAA nanofibrous membra...     

Polydopamine-sheathed electrospun nanofiber as adsorbent for determination of aldehydes metabolites in human urine

In this paper, a novel polydopamine modified polystyrene/graphene electrospun nanofiber membrane (PS/G@PDA) was fabricated on the surface of filter paper and used for thin film microextraction (TFME) for the first time. Benefiting from the hydrophilic polydopamine (PDA) coating and the porous fibrous structure, the PS/G@PDA membrane exhibited large surface area, high extraction efficiency, rapid extraction equilibrium, special selectivity and excellent biocompatibility. A thin film microextraction-high performance liquid chromatography method was developed and applied for the analysis of six aldehyde metabolites in human urine samples. Under the optimal conditions, the recoveries of the aldehyde compounds varied in the range of 83%–115%, with the relative standard deviation values lower than 14.5% (n = 5). Moreover, satisfactory sensitivities with the limits of detection in the range of 2.3–6.5 nmol L⁻¹ and good linearity with excellent correlation coefficients (R²) being larger than 0.9936 had also been achieved. In general, a fast, convenient, sensitive, high-efficient and matrix-free method was successfully proposed and expected becoming a promising approach for the determination of trace aldehyde metabolites in complex biological samples.     

Process optimization and empirical modeling for electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofiber precursor of carbon nanofibers

Ultrafine fibers were spun from polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/N,N-dimethyl formamide (DMF) solution as a precursor of carbon nanofibers using a homemade electrospinning set-up. Fibers with diameter ranging from 200 nm to 1200 nm were obtained. Morphology of fibers and distribution of fiber diameter were investigated varying concentration and applied voltage by scanning electric microscopy (SEM). Average fiber diameter and distribution were determined from 100 measurements of the random fibers with an image analyzer (SemAfore 5.0, JEOL). A more systematic understanding of process parameters was obtained and a quantitative relationship between electrospinning parameters and average fiber diameter was established by response surface methodology (RSM). It was concluded that concentration of solution played an important role to the diameter of fibers and standard deviation of fiber diameter. Applied voltage had no significant impact on fiber diameter and standard deviation of fiber diameter.     

Effect of Polyethylene glycol methyl ether blend Humic acid on poly (vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluropropylene) PVDF-HFP membranes: pH responsiveness and antifouling behavior with optimization approach

Flat sheet asymmetric membranes were fabricated with homogeneous solution of poly (vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-co-HFP) using N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) as solvent via phase inversion method. PEGME (Poly ethylene glycol methyl ether) (M_n 5000) blend Humic Acid (HA), of different mole ratio was used as additive. Characterization of the membranes was done by Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) studies. Liquid-liquid displacement porosimetry (LLDP) study evaluated the morphological parameters, average pore size and pore size distribution. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) (M_W - 68,000 Da) was used to study the antifouling effect and pore blocking mechanism of the membranes. The pure water flux (PWF), solute rejection and flux recovery ratio drastically increases for the PEGME blended HA membranes whereas the water contact angle decreases significantly. The pH responsiveness character of the prepared membranes altered the hydraulic permeability and rejection % at different pH. Finally, optimization of the variables contributing towards the PWF and BSA rejection of the desired membrane was performed using Design expert software 9.0 TRIAL through ANOVA (analysis of variance) using the combination of response surface methodology (RSM) and central composite design (CCD).     

Fabrication of poly(methyl methacrylate) microfluidic chips by redox-initiated polymerization

In this report, a method based on the redox-initiated polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) has been developed for the rapid fabrication of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) microfluidic chips. MMA containing 2-2'-azo-bis-isobutyronitrile was allowed to prepolymerize in a water bath to form a viscous prepolymer solution that was subsequently mixed with MMA containing a redox-initiation couple of benzoyl peroxide/N,N-dimethylaniline. The dense molding solution was sandwiched between a silicon template and a piece of 1-mm-thick PMMA plate. The polymerization could complete within 50 min under ambient temperature. The images of raised microfluidic structures on the silicon template were precisely replicated into the synthesized PMMA substrate during the redox-initiated polymerization of the molding solution. The chips were subsequently assembled by the thermal bonding of the channel plates and the covers. The new fabrication approach obviates the need for special equipment and significantly simplifies the process of fabricating PMMA microdevices. The attractive performance of the novel PMMA microchips has been demonstrated in connection with contactless conductivity detection for the separation and detection of ionic species.     

Fabrication, modification, and application of poly(methyl methacrylate) microfluidic chips

Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is particularly useful for microfluidic chips with the features of low price, excellent optic transparency, attractive mechanical and chemical properties, ease of fabrication and modification, biocompatibility, etc. During the past decade, significant progress in the PMMA microfluidic chips has occurred. This review, which contains 120 references, summarizes the recent advances and the key strategies in the fabrication, modification, and application of PMMA microfluidic chips. It is expected that PMMA microchips should find a wide range of applications and will lead to the creation of truly disposable microfluidic devices.     

Improving hydrophilicity and protein antifouling of electrospun poly(vinylidenefluoride-hexafluoropropylene) nanofiber membranes

<正>Poly(vinylidenefluoride-hexafluoropropylene)(PVDF-HFP) nanofiber membranes with improved hydrophilicity and protein fouling resistance via surface graft copolymerization of hydrophilic monomers were prepared.The surface modification involves atmospheric pressure glow discharge plasma(APGDP) pretreatment followed by graft copolymerization of poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate(PEGMA).The success of the graft modification with PEGMA on the PVDF-HFP fibrous membrane is ascertained by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared measurements(ATR-FTIR).The hydrophilic property of the nanofiber membranes is assessed by water contact angle measurements.The results show that the PEGMA grafted PVDF-HFP nanofiber membrane has a water contact angle of 0°compared with the pristine value of 132°.The protein adsorption was effectively reduced after PEGMA grafting on the PVDF-HFP nanofiber membrane surface.The PEGMA polymer grafting density on the PVDF-HFP membrane surface is measured by the gravimetric method,and the filtration performance is characterized by the measurement of water flux.The results indicate that the water flux of the grafted PVDF-HFP fibrous membrane increases significantly with the increase of the PEGMA grafting density.     

Polydopamine- and polyDOPA-coated electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol) nanofibrous membranes for cationic dye removal

Mussel adhesive proteins including special functional groups, such as dopamine and 3,4-dihydroxy-l-phenylalanine (DOPA), exhibit strong adhesion and have thus been used in numerous applications. As a novel dye adsorbent for wastewater treatment, this study examineed poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanofibrous membranes (NFMs) fabricated via electrospinning and then coated with polydopamine (pDA) or polyDOPA through a simple dip coating process in dopamine or DOPA solution to examine. The surface morphology, chemical composition and hydrophilicty of PVA NFMs coated with pDA or polyDOPA were compared using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV photoelectron spectrometry (XPS) and contact angle analyzer, respectively. The thermal degradation temperatures of the PVA NFMs were increased significantly by about 100 °C due to the radical scavenging ability of pDA and pDOPA. Also, the differences in the adsorption performance toward a cationic dye, methylene blue (MB), for polydopamine- or polyDOPA-coated PVA NFMs were evaluated using a UV–Visible spectrophotometer. Finally, a recyclability test was conducted to confirm the applicability as a dye adsorbent.     

The correlation between free volume and gas separation properties in high molecular weight poly(methyl methacrylate) membranes

Poly(methyl methacrylate) membranes of different fractional free volume (FFV) were prepared by dry casting from different solvents. Free volume data were determined by means of Bondi method and positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS). It was found that both the boiling point and the solubility parameter of casting solvent affect the membrane’s free volume. It was believed that the difference in free volume was arisen from the difference in polymer packing.The gas permeability is higher when membranes are cast from higher molecular weight PMMA. But the plasticizing effect of CO₂ is less serious compared with the low molecular weight one. The high molecular weight PMMA membrane also has an extremely high O₂/N₂ selectivity, indicating its high structure uniformity. These results indicate that membranes made from polymer of higher molecular weight have the advantages of high permeability, gas selectivity and are less sensitive to CO₂ plasticization. The intrinsic gas transport properties such as the permeability, solubility and diffusivity of O₂, N₂, and CO₂ are measured or calculated. The effects of fractional free volume on membrane gas separation properties were investigated. It was found that the fractional free volume had no definite effects on gas solubility, but the gas permeability and diffusivity increased accordingly to the measured free volume.     

Covalent immobilization of invertase on chemically activated poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) microbeads

Properties of invertase immobilized on poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) microbeads activated by epichlorohydrin or cyanuric chloride were studied. After 20 repeated uses for 3 days, the activity of the immobilized enzyme was 92–93%. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 10, pp. 1793–1797, October, 2006.     

Fabrication of poly(methyl methacrylate) capillary electrophoresis microchips by in situ surface polymerization

A novel method based on in situ surface polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) has been developed for the rapid fabrication of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) capillary electrophoresis (CE) microchips. MMA containing both thermal and ultraviolet (UV) initiators was allowed to prepolymerize in a water bath to form a fast curing molding solution that was subsequently sandwiched between a nickel template and a PMMA plate. The images of the raised microchannels on the nickel template were precisely replicated into the synthesized PMMA substrates during the UV-initiated polymerization of the molding solution within 30 min under ambient temperature. The attractive performances of the novel PMMA microchips have been demonstrated in connection with amperometric detection for the separation and detection of several model analytes. The new approach significantly simplifies the process for fabricating PMMA devices and could be applied to other materials that undergo light-initiated polymerization.     

Immobilization of gold nanoparticles on poly(methyl methacrylate) electrospun fibers exhibiting solid‐state surface plasmon effect

In this study, the surface plasmon effect of Au nanoparticles was successfully realized in the solid state by embedding the Au nanoparticles on the surface of the transparent polymer fibers for the first time. Electrospinning a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and HAuCl₄ mixture followed by a wet chemical reduction, the gold nanoparticles were formed on the PMMA nanocomposite electrospun fibers in a well‐distributed manner to give photostable purple color. The Au nanoparticles were all sphere shaped with an average diameter of 12 nm. Specifically, simply adjusting HAuCl₄ salt concentration in the electrospinning solution, it is able to control the electrospun fiber diameter and gold nanoparticle content in the resulting PMMA/Au nanocomposite fibers. Therefore, the developed method described herein is simple and effective for the large volume production of PMMA/Au nanocomposite fibers. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.