Poly(2‐ethyloxazoline) as matrix for highly active electrospun enzymes in organic solvents

ABSTRACT Nanofibers are advantageous carriers for biocatalysts, because they show lower diffusion limitations due to their high surface/volume ratio. Only a few samples are known where enzymes are directly spun into nanofibers, mostly because there are not many suited polymer carriers. In this study, poly(2‐ethyloxazoline) (PEtOx) was explored regarding its usefulness to activate various enzymes in organic solvents by directly electrospinning them from aqueous solutions containing the polymer. It was found that the concentration of PEtOx in the spinning solution and also the swellability of the fibers play a great role in the activity of the enzymes in organic solvents. Using electrospun lipase B from Candida antarctica (CaLB) under optimized conditions revealed a higher carrier activity than the commercial Novozyme 435 with 10 times less immobilized protein. The electrospinning of PEtOx/CaLB fibers onto a stirrer is used to realize a biocatalytic stirrer for organic solvents. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 39–45. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electronspinning enzymes with poly(2‐ethyloxazoline) (PEtOx) make the entrapped biocatalysts more active in organic solvents. The use of PEtOx‐nanofibers for coating surfaces allows the design of a stable biocatalytically active mechanical stirrer for reactions in unconventional media such as n‐heptane. Optimization of the entrapment and the reaction conditions of electrospun lipase from Candida antarctica affords a 10‐fold higher specific activity and a higher carrier activity compared the commercial Novozyme 435.