Achieving lysozyme functionalization in PDADMAC-NaPSS saloplastics through salt annealing.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Biochemistry
• Polymer Chemistry

Background:

• Hot-pressed saloplastics are transparent, dense polyelectrolyte complexes known for ionic crosslinking.
• These materials offer advantages like salt water processability and recyclability.
• Incorporating biological functionality into conventional plastics is challenging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a post-treatment method for incorporating lysozyme into hot-pressed saloplastics.
• To investigate the effect of salt concentration and incubation time on lysozyme loading and retention.
• To create functionalized saloplastics with biocatalytic properties.

Main Methods:

• Hot-pressed saloplastics were subjected to a post-treatment involving controlled changes in salt concentration.
• Lysozyme was introduced during a temporary 'opening' phase of the saloplastic structure.
• Enzymatic activity was systematically assessed against *Micrococcus lysodeikticus* over time.

Main Results:

• Optimized saloplastics achieved an enzymatic activity of 4.44 ± 0.37 U cm^-2.
• The incorporated lysozyme retained approximately 72% of its activity after 7 days.
• The method proved effective for loading enzymes into saloplastics.

Conclusions:

• A simple post-treatment effectively incorporates lysozyme into hot-pressed saloplastics.
• This approach enhances the functionality of saloplastics, enabling biocatalysis.
• The findings open new avenues for creating functionalized materials with biological components.