Cell-assisted synthesis of conducting polymer – polypyrrole – for the improvement of electric charge transfer through fungal cell wall

Publication date: 1 March 2019Source: Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces, Volume 175Author(s): Roxana-Mihaela Apetrei, Geta Carac, Almira Ramanaviciene, Gabriela Bahrim, Catalin Tanase, Arunas RamanaviciusAbstractIn this research we report the biological synthesis of electrically conducting polymer – Polypyrrole (Ppy). Cell-assisted enzymatic polymerization/oligomerization of Ppy was achieved using whole cell culture and cell-free crude enzyme extract from two white-rot fungal cultures. The selected fungal strains belong to Trametes spp., known laccase producers, commonly applied in bioremediation and bioelectrochemical fields. The biocatalytic reaction was initiated in situ through the copper-containing enzymes biosynthesized within the cell cultures under submerged aerobe cultivation conditions. The procedure was inspired by successful reports of laccase-catalyzed pyrrole polymerization. The usage of whole culture and/or crude enzyme extract has the advantage of overcoming enzyme purification and minimizing the liability of enzyme inactivation through improved stability of enzymes in their natural environment. Spectral and electrochemical techniques (UV–vis spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy; cyclic voltammetry (CV)) and pH measurements provided insight into the evolution of pyrrole polymerization/oligomerization and the electrochemical features of the final product. Microscopy techniques (optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM)) were primary tool...
Source: Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces - Category: Biochemistry Source Type: research