Electrospun blend nanofiber membrane consisting of polyurethane, amidoxime polyarcylonitrile, and β-cyclodextrin as high-performance carrier/support for efficient and reusable immobilization of laccase

- Electrospun Fe(III)-PU/AOPAN/β-CD blend nanofiber membrane was prepared.
- The membrane was studied as innovative carrier/support for immobilization of laccase.
- The membrane's immobilization amount of laccase reached a high value of 186.34 mg/g.
- The immobilized laccase showed high catalytic activity and temperature/pH resistance.
- Thermal/storage stability and reusability of the immobilized laccase were improved.

The aim of this study is to develop high-performance carrier/support for immobilization of enzyme (e.g., laccase). The hypothesis is that electrospun blend nanofiber membrane consisting of polyurethane (PU), amidoxime polyarcylonitrile (AOPAN), and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) would possess the desired morphological, mechanical, and chemical properties for the coordination/chelation of Fe(III) ions and the subsequent immobilization of laccase molecules. To test this hypothesis, the Fe(III)-PU/AOPAN/β-CD nanofiber membrane has been prepared and characterized first; thereafter, the membrane's performance as laccase immobilization carrier/support has been investigated. The results indicate that the prepared nanofiber membrane can efficiently immobilize laccase, and it also possesses excellent morphological/mechanical properties and regeneration capability. In specific, the membrane's immobilization amount of laccase reaches a high value of 186.34 mg/g; moreover, the immobilized laccase exhibits reasonably high catalytic activity and significantly improved resistance against the variations of temperature and pH value than the free laccase. Additionally, thermal stability, storage stability, and reusability of the immobilized laccase are substantially improved; and the membrane carrier/support can also be regenerated/reused for several times. Therefore, the developed electrospun PU/AOPAN/β-CD blend nanofiber membrane is a high-performance carrier/support for efficient and reusable immobilization of laccase.

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