Title : Enzyme and materials decoration by nanoparticles, a one-step physical method to enhance efficiency and reuse of biocatalysts

Abstract:

Compared with current chemical methodologies, enzymes are environmentally friendlier, more energy- efficient and potentially more cost-effective catalysts due to low energy demand operation and easier downstream processing. However, biocatalysts composed only of free enzymes are expensive, present poor longterm stability under processing conditions and are difficult to recover and recycle from the reaction mixture. In order to overcome these deficiencies, various strategies have been employed to improve biocatalyst functionality, stability and reusability by immobilizing enzymes onto carriers through chemical methods. In recent years, the use of NP or hybrid materials with NP for enzyme immobilization has received considerable attention not only due to the possibility of achieving very high surface areas, but also for providing small and clean materials. These features diminish costs and enhance the product’s purity. Most of the techniques of enzyme immobilization onto NP materials involve modifications of the NP surface in order to chemically bind or strongly adsorb the enzyme. Also, the preparation of NPs from the reduction of metal precursors, can generate undesired by-products that reduce NP effectiveness at the applications. This presentation will show the use of a simple one-step physical deposition of NPs by sputtering technique to produce magnetic NPs and hybrid materials without the complications and drawbacks of methods based on chemical procedures. This one-step physical deposition provides a simple and inexpensive strategy that opens up new possibilities for designing active materials with potential use on the industrial scale.

Audience take away:

•    The audience will be able to learn a novel method to decorated proteins and other materials with a simple one-step physical deposition of NPs by sputtering technique.
•    This presentation will provide to the audience a simple and inexpensive strategy to deposit NP and also magnetic NP directly onto the enzyme surface, without the need for any chemical coating or modification of the NP surface. Also, the audience will see a different strategy to produce efficient hybrid materials to be used in a high amount of applications
•    This research may help researchers to expand their vision about NP synthesis and applications.
•    Is a new method to decorated proteins and others materials. This new strategy have the advantage to be a robust, clean, simple and low cost procedure without the complications and drawbacks of methods based on chemical procedures.

Biography:

Dr. Roberta is graduated in Chemical Engineering at the Industrial Engineering University (FEI), Brazil, with master's and PhD degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (2004 to 2009). She worked at Hayward Ind. Products LTDA in product development and marketing. She was a majority partner of the company InovaBio Indústria Biotecnológica de Enzymes, start up at the Biotechnology Center / UFRGS (2008 to 2012). After four year postdoctoral fellowship supervised by Dr Jairton Dupont at the Molecular Catalysis Laboratory, Brazil, she obtained the position of Associate Professor in Biotechnology at the State University of Rio Grande do Sul (2013 to 2015). She is currently Associate Professor of the Department of Inorganic Chemistry at Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), in the area of Bioinorganics. She has experience in Biotechnology, Biocatalysis, Nanobiocatalysis, Biomaterials and Bioinorganic Chemistry with emphasis on health, biofuels, enzyme immobilization, microorganisms, ionic liquids and nanoparticles. Dr. Roberta is leader of the Research Group named “Laboratory of Proteins and Microorganisms Applied to Chemistry”, highlighting among the group's research areas the enzyme immobilization lines in nanostructured materials: application and characterization, as well as the synthesis line of new materials for incorporation of biomolecules for application in health, environmental and energy areas. She advisor at the Master an PhD Program in Chemistry by UFRGS and mentored more than 20 undergraduate students, 1 PhD and she is a co-advisor of 3 PhD’s and 1 master degree. She has 10 publications in journals with selective editorial policy, 155 citations received in the international scientific literature, according to ISI and 2 Patents.