Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Biomimetic Synthesis Within Polyelectrolyte Microcapsules: Characterization Of Enzyme Catalyzed Polyphenols And Polypeptides, Rohit C. Ghan

Doctoral Dissertations

An enzyme-catalyzed synthesis of novel polymers within layer-by-layer (LbL) constructed polyelectrolyte microcapsules has been developed. This approach is based on the selective permeability of polyelectrolyte-capsule walls to monomer molecules. Conversely biocatalysts and forming polymeric chains cannot exit the micro-capsule interior because of their characteristic high molecular weight. Horseradish Peroxidase (HRP) was encapsulated into four bilayer PSS (poly-styrenesulfonate)/PAH (poly-allylamine hydrochloride) capsules with an average diameter of 5 μm using pH-driven pore opening. The polymerization of 4-(2-Aminoethyl) phenol hydrochloride (tyramine) catalyzed by HRP produces easily detectable fluorescent polymeric products after the addition of hydrogen peroxide to the system. It is known that …