Eudragit E100/poly(ethylene oxide) electrospun fibers for DNA removal from aqueous solution

ABSTRACT The development of new strategies for production of low‐cost deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) adsorbents based on electrospun fibers of block copolymers [Eudragit E‐100/poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)] is a promising way for fast retrieval of free of degradation double‐stranded DNA chains from aqueous solution. The adsorption takes place through electrostatic interaction between DNA and oppositely charged electrospun fibers that provide high surface area for DNA adsorption. The adsorption capacity observed for electrospun fibers of Eudragit E100/PEO (considering as target molecules the salmon sperm DNA) was in order of 44.31 mg g−1, following the Langmuir model in a typical adsorption at solid/liquid interface (pseudo‐second‐order model), that characterizes the electrospun fibers as promising templates for removal of biologic components and further use in molecular biology techniques, as DNA amplification by polymerase chain reaction. The reuse and integrity of membranes after long period of adsorption were tested, confirming the potential of material as adsorbent. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019, 136, 47479. Schematic view of adsorption process of DNA on electrospun fibers.