Sol-gel encapsulated enzyme
First Claim
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1. A process for the production of a porous, transparent sol-gel glass containing an alcohol sensitive active biological material entrapped therein comprising:
- (a) forming a single phase sol by mixing a metal alkoxide in a non-alcoholic medium comprising water and an acid catalyst in a container exposed to ultrasonic energy, the mixture having a pH not greater than about 2;
(b) removing the ultrasonic energy and raising the pH of the sol to about 5 to 7 by the addition of a buffering agent;
(c) adding said active biological material to the buffered sol;
(d) forming a gel and allowing the gel to age; and
(e) allowing at least a portion of the water in the gel to evaporate so that the volume of the product produced in step (d) is decreased and the active biological material is trapped in a monolith of the gel having a reduced volume.
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Abstract
An active biological material encapsulated in a glass is formed using a sol-gel process. A metal alkoxide is mixed with water and exposed to ultrasonic energy at a pH≦2 to form a single phase solution which is then buffered to a pH between about 5 and 7. The buffered solution is then mixed with the active biological material and the resultant gel is aged and dried. The dried product is a transparent porous glass with substantially all of the added active biological material encapsulated therein, the biological material retaining a high level of activity.
94 Citations
40 Claims
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1. A process for the production of a porous, transparent sol-gel glass containing an alcohol sensitive active biological material entrapped therein comprising:
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(a) forming a single phase sol by mixing a metal alkoxide in a non-alcoholic medium comprising water and an acid catalyst in a container exposed to ultrasonic energy, the mixture having a pH not greater than about 2; (b) removing the ultrasonic energy and raising the pH of the sol to about 5 to 7 by the addition of a buffering agent; (c) adding said active biological material to the buffered sol; (d) forming a gel and allowing the gel to age; and (e) allowing at least a portion of the water in the gel to evaporate so that the volume of the product produced in step (d) is decreased and the active biological material is trapped in a monolith of the gel having a reduced volume. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A porous, transparent sol-gel glass having entrapped therein an active biological material wherein the glass is prepared by:
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(a), forming a single phase sol by mixing a metal alkoxide in a non-alcoholic medium comprising water and an acid catalyst and exposing the mixture to ultrasonic energy, the mixture having a pH not greater than about 2; (b) removing the ultrasonic energy and raising the pH of the sol to about 5 to 7 by the addition of a buffering agent; (c) adding an active biological material to the buffered sol; (d) forming a gel and allowing the gel to age; and (e) allowing at least a portion of the water in the gel to evaporate so that external dimensions of the gel produced in step (d) are reduced and the active biological material is held within the structure after evaporation. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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- 22. A porous, transparent sol-gel glass having an apparent density of 1.2 g/cc, a specific surface area of about 400 to 800 m2 /g, a median pore radius of about 15 Angstroms and a maximum pore radius of about 100 Angstroms, the porous, transparent glass having an active biological material entrapped therein.
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25. A method for the qualitative or quantitative detection of a substance which reacts with or whose reaction is catalyzed by an active biological material which comprises:
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(1) The production of a porous, transparent sol-gel glass containing an active biological material entrapped therein comprising; (a) forming a single phase sol by mixing a metal alkoxide in a non-alcoholic medium comprising water and an acid catalyst in a container exposed to ultrasonic energy, the mixture having a pH not greater than about 2; (b) removing the ultrasonic energy and raising the pH of the sol to about 5 to 7 by the addition of a buffering agent; (c) adding an active biological material to the buffered sol; (d) forming a gel and allowing the gel to age; and (e) allowing at least a portion of the water in the gel to evaporate causing the gel to shrink and the active biological material to be trapped in the porous glass. (2) Brining the porous, transparent glass containing the active biological material into contact with an aqueous solution of the substance; and (3) Observing the change in optical characteristics of the porous, transparent glass containing an active biological material. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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40. A process for the production of a porous, transparent aged gel containing an alcohol sensitive active biological material entrapped therein comprising:
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(a) forming a single phase sol by mixing a metal alkoxide in a non-alcoholic medium comprising water and an acid catalyst in a container exposed to ultrasonic energy, the mixture having a pH not greater than about 2; (b) removing the ultrasonic energy and raising the pH of the sol to about 5 to 7 by the addition of a buffering agent; (c) adding an active biological material to the buffered sol; and (d) forming a gel and allowing the gel to age.
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Specification