Intestine-like micro/mesoporous carbon built of chemically modified banana peel for size-selective separation of proteins

Abstract

An intestine-like micro/mesoporous carbon (ILMC) was fabricated by chemically modifying banana peel and used for the size-selective separation of proteins. The as-prepared ILMC has been exemplarily characterized by FTIR, XRD, SEM, TEM and N₂ adsorption measurements. The adsorption property of ILMC was further evaluated with three different molecular size proteins, cytochrome c, bovine serum albumin and lysozyme, at binary and ternary hybrid solutions. The results showed that the ILMC is effective and a highly selective adsorbent for cytochrome c. This simple and procurable ILMC may be utilized as a potential and promising support for immobilizing bio-macromolecules, drug delivery and separation.