Pore Environment Control and Enhanced Performance of Enzymes Infiltrated in Covalent Organic Frameworks

TLDR: How covalent organic frameworks (COFs) possess all the necessary requirements needed to serve as ideal host materials for enzymes and the ability to easily tune the pore environment of a COF using monomers bearing specific functional groups can improve its compatibility with a given enzyme.

Abstract: In the drive toward green and sustainable methodologies for chemicals manufacturing, biocatalysts are predicted to have much to offer in the years to come. That being said, their practical applications are often hampered by a lack of long-term operational stability, limited operating range, and a low recyclability for the enzymes utilized. Herein, we show how covalent organic frameworks (COFs) possess all the necessary requirements needed to serve as ideal host materials for enzymes. The resultant biocomposites of this study have shown the ability boost the stability and robustness of the enzyme in question, namely lipase PS, while also displaying activities far outperforming the free enzyme and biocomposites made from other types of porous materials, such as mesoporous silica and metal–organic frameworks, exemplified in the kinetic resolution of the alcohol assays performed. The ability to easily tune the pore environment of a COF using monomers bearing specific functional groups can improve its compatib...