Claims
- 1. A method for immobilizing a biocatalyst, which comprises:
- (a) reducing the temperature of a three dimensional reticular polymer gel, said polymer gel having a specific phase transition temperature at which said polymer gel reversibly swells and shrinks, below said specific phase transition temperature to cause said polymer gel to swell;
- (b) thereafter contacting said polymer gel in said swollen state with a liquid medium containing a biocatalyst to allow said biocatalyst to absorb into said polymer gel; and
- (c) thereafter heating at least a portion of said polymer gel to said phase transition temperature or higher thereby shrinking said portion of said polymer gel to immobilize said absorbed biocatalyst at said portion.
- 2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the phase transition temperature of the polymer gel in water is lower than the deactivation temperature of the biocatalyst.
- 3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the biocatalyst is an enzyme or a microbe.
- 4. A method according to claim 1, wherein said biocatalyst is immobilized at a predetermined pattern of the polymer gel.
- 5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the polymer gel has a phase transition temperature between 0.degree. C. and 80.degree. C.
- 6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the liquid medium is composed mainly of water.
- 7. A method for immobilizing a biocatalyst, which comprises:
- (a) heating at least a portion of a three-dimensional reticular polymer gel to convert said portion to a shrunken state; said polymer gel having a phase transition temperature at which said polymer gel reversibly swells and shrinks;
- (b) contacting said polymer gel with a liquid medium containing a biocatalyst
- (c) allowing said biocatalyst to absorb into a non-heated portion of said polymer gel; and
- (d) heating said non-heated portion of said polymer gel to said phase transition temperature or higher thereby shrinking said non-heated portion to immobilize the biocatalyst at said non-heated portion.
- 8. A method according to claim 7, wherein during the contacting step the polymer gel is immersed in the liquid medium.
- 9. A method according to claim 7, wherein the phase transition temperature of the polymer gel in water is lower than the deactivation temperature of the biocatalyst.
- 10. A method according to claim 7, wherein the biocatalyst is an enzyme or a microbe.
- 11. A method according to claim 7, wherein said biocatalyst is immobilized at a predetermined portion of said polymer gel.
- 12. A method according to claim 7, wherein the polymer gel has a phase transition temperature between 0.degree. C. and 80.degree. C.
- 13. A method according to claim 7, wherein the liquid medium is composed mainly of water.
- 14. The method according to claim 7, wherein the biocatalyst is immobilized by the polymer gel in a desired pattern.
- 15. A method for immobilizing and releasing a biocatalyst, which comprises:
- (a) contacting a three-dimensional reticular polymer gel in a swelled state with a liquid medium containing a biocatalyst; said polymer gel having a phase transition temperature at which said polymer gel reversibly swells and shrinks;
- (b) allowing said biocatalyst to absorb into said polymer gel;
- (c) heating at least a portion of said polymer gel to said phase transition temperature or higher thereby shrinking said portion of said polymer gel to immobilize the biocatalyst at said portion; and
- (d) cooling said portion of the polymer gel to a temperature lower than the phase transition temperature to release the biocatalyst from said portion.
- 16. A method according to claim 15, wherein during the contacting step the polymer gel is immersed in the liquid medium.
- 17. A method according to claim 15, wherein the phase transition temperature of the polymer gel in water is lower than the deactivation temperature of the biocatalyst.
- 18. A method according to claim 15, wherein the biocatalyst is an enzyme or a microbe.
- 19. A method according to claim 15, wherein said biocatalyst is immobilized at a predetermined portion of said polymer gel.
- 20. A method according to claim 15, wherein the polymer gel has a phase transition temperature between 0.degree. C. and 80.degree. C.
- 21. A method according to claim 15, wherein the liquid medium is composed mainly of water.
- 22. The method according to claim 15, wherein the biocatalyst is immobilized by the polymer gel in a desired pattern.
Priority Claims (2)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
60-144002 |
Jul 1985 |
JPX |
|
60-175774 |
Aug 1985 |
JPX |
|
Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 309,033 filed Feb. 2, 1989, now abandoned, which in turn is a continuation of application Ser. No. 880,320 filed June 30, 1986, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (5)
Non-Patent Literature Citations (2)
Entry |
Dahlqvist et al., "Hydrolysis of B-Galactosides Using Polymer-Entrapped Lactase-Free Milk", Biotechnology and Bioengineering XV, pp. 395-402 (1973). |
Mosbach, "Matrix-Bound Enzymes", Acta Chem. Scand., 24 pp. 2084-2100 (1970). |
Continuations (2)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
309033 |
Feb 1989 |
|
Parent |
880320 |
Jun 1986 |
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