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In this study, a mat/membrane consisting of overlaid PVA/PA6-Cu(II) composite nanofibers was prepared via the electrospinning technique followed by coordination/chelation with Cu(II) ions; an enzyme of catalase (CAT) was then immobilized onto the PVA/PA6-Cu(II) nanofibrous membrane. The amount of immobilized catalase reached a high value of 64 ± 4.6 mg/g, while the kinetic parameters (Vmax and Km) of enzyme were 3774 μmol/mg·min and 41.13 mM, respectively. Furthermore, the thermal stability and storage stability of immobilized catalase were improved significantly. Thereafter, a plug-flow type of immobilized enzyme membrane reactor (IEMR) was assembled from the PVA/PA6-Cu(II)-CAT membrane. With the increase of operational pressure from 0.02 to 0.2 MPa, the flux value of IEMR increased from 0.20 ± 0.02 to 0.76 ± 0.04 L/m(2)·min, whereas the conversion ratio of H2O2 decreased slightly from 92 ± 2.5% to 87 ± 2.1%. After 5 repeating cycles, the production capacity of IEMR was merely decreased from 0.144 ± 0.006 to 0.102 ± 0.004 mol/m(2)·min. These results indicated that the assembled IEMR possessed high productivity and excellent reusability, suggesting that the IEMR based on electrospun PVA/PA6-Cu(II) nanofibrous membrane might have great potential for various applications, particularly those related to environmental protection.

Amidoxime polyacrylonitrile (AOPAN) nanofibrous membranes were generated by the reaction between electrospun polyacrylonitrile nanofibrous membranes and hydroxylamine hydrochloride. AOPAN nanofibrous membranes were further modified by Fe(III) chelation for immobilizing catalases with coordination bonds. The surface morphologies of the nanofibrous membranes and immobilized catalases were observed by field emission scanning electron microscopy. Chelation of Fe(III) onto AOPAN nanofibrous membranes was studied by the Langmuir isothermal adsorption model. It was found that the maximum amount of coordinated Fe(III) (qm) was 4.5045 mmol g−1 (dry nanofibrous membranes) and the binding constant (Kl) was 0.0698 L mmol−1. The amounts of immobilized enzymes were determined by the method of Bradford. Kinetic parameters were analyzed for both immobilized and free catalases. The value of Vmax (7122.6 µmol mg−1 min−1) for the immobilized catalases was smaller than that for the free catalases (9203.2 µmol mg−1 min−1), and the Km for the immobilized catalases was larger. The immobilized catalases showed better resistance to pH and temperature change than the free catalases, and the storage stability of immobilized catalases was higher than that of free catalases. As for reusability, the immobilized catalases retained 71% of their activity after eight repeated uses. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry

Electrospinning was applied to prepare the drug-loaded nanofibers for potential use in drug delivery and wound healing. Clarithromycin (CLM) was selected as the model drug, whereas poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) was used as the biodegradable and biocompatible polymer carrier. The low toxicity solvents were tested, and the morphology and structures of the nanofibers were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). PLLA and its composite of CLM were electrospun using the solvents of dichloromethane and acetone. SEM images showed that the diameters of the electrospun PLLA fibers were about 1000 nm, decreased to about 400 nm when 5 wt % CLM was loaded. With the increase of the amount the drug loaded, the diameters of the fibers gradually decreased and their distributions varied. The drug aggregates of any kind were not observed on the surfaces of the fibers. FTIR spectra revealed that CLM was incorporated into the macromolecular carrier of PLLA by formation of the hydrogen bonds but no new functional groups in the structure of the composite nanofibers were formed. XRD patterns indicated that the drug distributed in the composite nanofibers existed in the noncrystalline form.