Synthesis and characterization of ordered mesoporous silica (SBA-15 and SBA-16) for adsorption of biomolecules

• SBA-16 is reported for the first time for biomolecule adsorption.
• SBA-15 showed high adsorption capacity for bovine serum albumin and lysozyme than SBA-16.
• SBA-16 shows large adsorption capacities for cellulase.

The present work describes the adsorption of biomolecules (bovine serum albumin (BSA), lysozyme (LYS) and cellulase (CEL)) on ordered mesoporous silicas with different pore diameters (SBA-15 and SBA-16) from buffered solutions. These adsorbents were synthesized by sol–gel and hydrothermal routes and characterized by X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption/desorption isotherms and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results by X-ray diffraction and TEM show that the synthesized materials have distinct degrees of mesoporous ordering. The influence of pH on the adsorption of BSA, LYS and CEL as well the kinetics and adsorption isotherms were evaluated in stirred tanks. Among the materials studied, hydrothermally synthesized SBA-15 showed the highest maximum adsorption capacity of BSA and LYS (329 and 636 mg/g, respectively). CEL was best adsorbed in SBA-15 synthesized by the sol–gel route.

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