Issue 10, 2023

Porous silica nanospheres: a nanoplatform towards protein immobilization and cogent design of biosensors for aromatic water pollutant detection

Abstract

Accurate tracking of aromatic pollutants in the field of environmental biotechnology requires significant attention owing to their hazardous health-related implications. In particular, direct detection of acutely toxic aromatic xenobiotics including phenol, benzene, catechol, etc. in water samples remains a challenge. Here, we methodically study the classical attributes of nano-supports that are paramount to attain a suitable enzyme–nano-support matrix by employing MopR, a phenol biosensor as a model system. A series of porous silica nanospheres (pSNs) of different physicochemical properties were explored as a potential nanoplatform for MopR immobilization. The sensor constructed with an average pore size of about 9 nm and total pore volume of 1.12 cc g−1 exhibit the highest sensitivity to detect phenol, down to 0.1 μM (10 ppb). The designed sensor proved to be robust, selective, and sensitive in real environmental samples exhibiting high accuracy within detection limits. Furthermore, to understand the mechanism of immobilization and to refine the protein–matrix interactions, Ni-NTA functionalized pSNs were synthesized. Results show that the enzyme requires conformational flexibility and a combination of chemical tethering and apt pore shape, and the volume of the nano-support is fundamental for the activity of the biosensor. The present in-depth study opens a new dimension in mesoporous nanomaterials and guides the development of smart biosensors for environmental monitoring of xenobiotics.

Graphical abstract: Porous silica nanospheres: a nanoplatform towards protein immobilization and cogent design of biosensors for aromatic water pollutant detection

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
06 4月 2023
Accepted
20 8月 2023
First published
11 9月 2023

Environ. Sci.: Nano, 2023,10, 2799-2809

Porous silica nanospheres: a nanoplatform towards protein immobilization and cogent design of biosensors for aromatic water pollutant detection

S. Das, S. Sahu, R. Bandyopadhyaya and R. Anand, Environ. Sci.: Nano, 2023, 10, 2799 DOI: 10.1039/D3EN00217A

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements