Sol-gels are porous and optically transparent glass monoliths that have various functions. Their applications and development in biomedicine have shown promise for new biosensors and artificial organs. Sol-gels can be synthesized from various starting materials including tetramethoxysilane (TMOS) and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS). These various starting materials create different pore sizes that will allow a comparison of which process is a more suitable environment for enzyme encapsulation. Several types of sol-gels doped with Horseradish Peroxidase (HRP) are synthesized and investigated. The sol-gels are subjected to various environments including two weeks in a buffer solution followed by six weeks of aging at room temperature, each followed with weekly analysis.  Effectiveness is gauged via UV-Vis spectroscopy and analysis of the affinity of HRP for hydrogen peroxide is measured using concentration values obtained from the Beer-Lambert law.  The syntheses and characterization of these materials are highlighted in this presentation.

Sol-gels and biomolecule encapsulation

247th National Meeting (2014)

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