Ordered Mesoporous Metal-Phenolic Network Particles.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Mesoporous metal-organic networks are valuable for gas storage, separations, catalysis, and drug delivery.
• Synthesizing networks with large, ordered mesochannels (>20 nm) for macromolecule applications remains a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel strategy for synthesizing ordered mesoporous metal-phenolic particles with large mesochannels.
• To demonstrate the capability of these particles for high protein loading and enhanced enzyme activity.

Main Methods:

• Utilized sacrificial double cubic network polymer cubosomes (Im3̅m) as templates.
• Synthesized ordered mesoporous metal-phenolic particles (meso-MPN) with a large-pore single cubic network (Pm3̅m, ~40 nm).
• Investigated protein loading (HRP, hemoglobin, IgG, GOx) and enzyme activity retention (HRP, GOx).

Main Results:

• Achieved high protein loadings, e.g., 362 mg g⁻¹ for glucose oxidase (GOx), ~6-fold higher than commercial SiO₂.
• Demonstrated high retained activity for horseradish peroxidase (HRP) (~82%) with excellent recyclability (minimal 13% activity loss over five cycles).
• Protein loading capacity is superior to commercial SiO₂ particles with similar pore sizes.

Conclusions:

• The cubosome-templated strategy successfully produced meso-MPN particles with large mesochannels suitable for macromolecule encapsulation.
• These meso-MPN particles offer significant advantages in protein loading capacity and enzyme stability/recyclability compared to existing materials.
• The approach is versatile, allowing for the design of various meso-MPN particles using abundant polyphenols and metal ions for diverse applications.