Layered confinement of protein in synthetic fluorinated mica via stepwise polyamine exchange

We have developed a process to incorporate the model protein, bovine serum albumin (BSA), into the layered spacing of swelled mica. By a stepwise intercalation, the sodium form of synthetic fluorinated mica (Mica) was first exchanged with the poly(oxyalkylene)-diamine salts (POA-amine) through an ionic exchange reaction and then the BSA embedment. The first step of the Mica space expansion from the pristine 12 A to 18-93 A was affected by hydrophobic POP-amines (POP2000 of 2000 g/mol and POP4000 of 4000 g/mol M(w)) and the hydrophilic POE2000 that intercalated Na+-Mica to afford different basal spacing (39, 93, and 18 A, respectively). The POA modification was necessary for the BSA intercalation and resulted in an uncompressed form of protein conformation in the layered confinement (XRD d spacing = 60-71 A). For comparison, direct intercalation rendered only low d spacing (30 A), in which BSA was embedded in a compressed conformation. The BSA-mica complexes were characterized by X-ray, TGA, and solution analyses. The stepwise process provides a new method for embedding large protein molecules into the clay layered structure generating protein/layered silicate complexes.