A comparative study of periodic mesoporous organosilica and different hydrophobic mesoporous silicas for lipase immobilization

This study compares the use of different mesoporous silica as lipase supports. Amorphous silica, ordered mesoporous materials SBA-15 and periodic mesoporous organosilica ethane-PMO have been prepared and modified for this study. A slight hydrophobic degree (10% of methyltriethoxysilane) has been introduced in SBA-15 (Me-SBA-15), and a more efficient octyltriethoxysilane modification has been introduced in the amorphous silica (Oct-AS), and compared with the PMO. An analysis of the influence of the hydrophobic nature of the supports along with the porous topology is presented. Enzyme loading, leaching and final activities of the biocatalysts have been tested, pointing to very promising results for the use of PMO as a support. This study is in agreement with previous studies that devoted efforts in designing heterogeneous biocatalysts in a very simple manner based on ordered mesoporous materials.