Quaternized Nanofiber-Based Anion-Exchange Chromatography Membrane with Periodic Diagonal Surface Structure for...

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Separation Science
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Balancing high flow rates and high adsorption capacity in membranes is crucial for efficient protein separation and purification.
• Nanofibrous membranes offer a promising platform for chromatography due to their tunable surface area and pore structure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate and characterize a novel nanofiber-based ion-exchange chromatography membrane with enhanced performance for protein separation.
• To investigate the effect of quaternized chitosan (QCS) content on membrane morphology and adsorption properties.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of the nanofibrous membrane using dispersion in situ cross-linking, wet coating, and template printing.
• Utilizing EVOH nanofibers as the skeleton, glutaraldehyde (GA) as the cross-linking agent, and quaternized chitosan (QCS) as the functional ligand.
• Characterization of membrane morphology, pore size, and evaluation of static and dynamic adsorption capacities for bovine serum albumin (BSA).

Main Results:

• Optimized membrane performance (NFM-QCS) achieved at 35% QCS content, exhibiting high flow rates under low pressure.
• Demonstrated high static adsorption capacity (1285.16 mg/g) and dynamic adsorption capacity (135.63 mg/mL) for BSA.
• Successfully separated and purified immunoglobulin G (IgG) from a BSA and IgG mixture, indicating high selectivity.

Conclusions:

• The developed nanofibrous ion-exchange chromatography membrane offers a facile and effective approach for high-performance protein separation.
• The membrane's superior adsorption capacity and flow characteristics surpass current state-of-the-art and commercial chromatography columns.
• This technology holds significant potential for advancing protein purification processes in biopharmaceutical applications.