Enzyme-containing polyurethanes

Abstract

A method of increasing loading of active enzyme immobilized in a polyurethane polymer including the steps of: synthesizing the polyurethane polymer in a reaction mixture containing water and enzyme; and including a sufficient amount of a surfactant in the reaction mixture to increase enzyme activity at an enzyme loading.

1 - 10 . cancelled.  
     
     
         11 . A polyurethane polymer containing an enzyme loading of more than approximately 0.1 weight percent enzyme, the polyurethane polymer having been synthesized in the presence of a sufficient amount of a surfactant to increase enzyme activity at the enzyme loading.  
     
     
         12 . The polyurethane polymer of  claim 11  wherein the surfactant is nonionic.  
     
     
         13 . The polyurethane polymer of  claim 12  wherein the enzyme loading is greater that approximately 0.5 percent weight of the polyurethane polymer.  
     
     
         14 . The polyurethane polymer of  claim 12  wherein the enzyme loading is greater that approximately 1 percent by weight of the polyurethane polymer.  
     
     
         15 . The polyurethane polymer of  claim 12  wherein enzyme immobilized in the polyurethane polymer includes at least one of an oxidoreductase, a transferase, a proteolytic enzyme, a lyase, an isomerase or a ligase.  
     
     
         16 . The polyurethane polymer of  claim 12  wherein enzyme immobilized in the polyurethane polymer includes at least one of a protease, a lipase, a peroxidase, a tyrosinase, a glycosidase, a nuclease, a aldolase, a phosphatase, s sulfatase, a hydrolase, or a dehydrogenase.  
     
     
         17 . The polyurethane polymer of  claim 12  wherein at least two species of enzyme are co-immobilized within the polyurethane polymer.  
     
     
         18 . The polyurethane polymer of  claim 17  wherein the two species of enzyme are within the same class of enzyme.  
     
     
         19 . The polyurethane polymer of  claim 12  wherein the surfactant comprises between 0.5 to 5.0 weight percent of the aqueous component of a reaction mixture.  
     
     
         20 . The polyurethane polymer of  claim 12  wherein the enzyme is a hydrolase and the surfactant is nonionic.  
     
     
         21 . A method of improving enzymatic activity in a polyurethane polymer synthesized with an enzyme loading of more than approximately 0.1 weight percent enzyme, the method comprising the step of: 
 adding a sufficient amount of a surfactant during synthesis of the polyurethane polymer to increase enzyme activity at the enzyme loading.    
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21  wherein the surfactant is nonionic.  
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22  wherein the enzyme loading is greater that approximately 0.5 percent by weight of the polyurethane polymer.  
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 22  wherein the enzyme loading is greater that approximately 1 percent by weight of the polyurethane polymer.  
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 22  wherein enzyme immobilized in the polyurethane polymer includes at least one of an oxidoreductase, a transferase, a proteolytic enzyme, a lyase, an isomerase or a ligase.  
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 22  wherein enzyme immobilized in the polyurethane polymer includes at least one of a protease, a lipase, a peroxidase, a tyrosinase, a glycosidase, a nuclease, a aldolase, a phosphatase, a sulfatase, a hydrolase, or a dehydrogenase.  
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 22  wherein at least two species of enzyme are co-immobilized within the polyurethane polymer.  
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 27  wherein the two species of enzyme are within the same class of enzyme.  
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 22  wherein the surfactant comprises between 0.5 to 5.0 weight percent of the aqueous component of the mixture.  
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 22  wherein the enzyme is a hydrolase and surfactant is nonionic.