Poly (urea-urethane) foams containing immobilized active enzymes

• US 3,905,923 A
• Filed: 04/04/1974
• Issued: 09/16/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: James H. Klug
• Original Assignee: James H. Klug
• Inventors: Klug, James H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Welsh, M. J.
• Application Number:
  US05/457,834
• Time in Patent Office: 530 Days
• Field of Search: 260/2.5AD,2.5A,2.5BD
• US Class Current: 435/182
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 11/04 entrapped within the carrier, e.g. gel or hollow fibres
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 521/905 Hydrophilic or hydrophobic cellular product
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31551 Of polyamidoester [polyurethane, polyisocyanate, polycarbamate, etc.]

Abstract

An active, immobilized enzyme system is formed from an enzyme and a hydrophilic poly (urea-urethane) foam, said foam surrounding, entrapping and supporting the enzyme in an active configuration. The hydrophilic foam is formed by the reaction of water with a hydrophilic isocyanate-terminated polyoxyalkylene prepolymer containing at least 50 mole percent of oxyethylene in the prepolymer backbone.

Claims

1. AN ENZYME-CONTAINING FOAM COMPRISING:

ABOUT 0.1 TO 15 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF AN ACTIVE ENZYME PREPARATION ON AN ANHYDROUS SOLIDS BASIS, AND A HYDROPHILIC POLY(UREA-URETHANE) FOAM MATRIX HAVING AN OXYALKYLENE BACKBONE CONTAINING AT LEAST 50 MOLE PERCENT OXYETHYLENE, SAID HYDROPHILIC FOAM BEING FORMED BY REACTING AN ISOCYANATE-TERMINATED PREPOLYMER CONTAINING AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF SAID ENZYME WITH WATER, AND SAID HYDROPHILIC FOAM ENTRAPPING AND SUPPORTING SAID ENZYME IN AN ACTIVE CONFIGURATION FOR ENZYMATIC ACTIVITY.

2. A process for forming an active enzyme foam comprising the steps of:

combining an aqueous solution of enzyme and a hydrophilic isocyanate-terminated polyoxyalkylene prepolymer, said prepolymer containing at least 50 mole percent oxyethylene units; and

reacting the enzyme-containing isocyanate-terminated prepolymer with water to form a foam containing said enzyme in an active configuration.

3. The process according to claim 2, wherein said reaction is carried out at 0* to 3*C.

4. The enzyme foam of claim 1 containing from 1 to 50 percent by weight of filler.

5. The process according to claim 2 where said isocyanate-terminated prepolymer has a molecular weight from about 700 to 8500.

6. The enzyme foam of claim 1 containing a nonwoven reinforcing web.