Aqueous two-phase system based adherent droplet microfluidics for enhanced enzymatic reaction

doi:10.11949/0438-1157.20221603

Abstract

Abstract:

Utilizing the aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) based droplet microfluidics, a highly efficient enzymatic reaction platform has been developed that takes the advantage of the properties of the ATPS adherent droplet microfluidics including rapid mass transfer, efficient mixing, and reaction-separation coupling. The proposed platform utilizes droplet microfluidics, overcoming the limitation of low mass transfer rate and the high time/energy consumption of the traditional bulk ATPS. A wall-mounted droplet microreactor is established, further enhancing mass transfer due to the creation of a larger vortex flow. In addition, the ATPS droplet with the ability of molecular containing and selective enzyme and product partitioning are investigated. By comparing the enzymatic reaction effects of two types of droplet microreactors with and without microchannel walls, it is found that the conversion of droplet microreactors with microchannel walls can reach 40% in only 6 min. It is 9.4 times higher than that of the droplet microreactor not attached to the wall of the microchannel. Therefore, this study paves a new way to enhance the enzyme-catalyzed reaction processes at the microscale through the ATPS droplet microfluidic technique.

Key words: microfluidic, aqueous two-phase system, droplet, enzyme, mass transfer, microchannels

摘要：

以微流控双水相液滴流技术为基础，开发了一种酶促反应平台，将微流控贴壁液滴流快速传递、高效混合的特点与双水相反应分离耦合过程优化结合。本体系克服了传统宏观双水相体系传质传热慢以及耗时耗能的问题，并建立了贴壁液滴微反应器，产生更大的内环流，进一步增强传质效果。探究了双水相液滴界面的分子限域能力、对酶和产物的选择性分配能力。通过比较贴微通道壁和未贴微通道壁两类液滴微反应器的酶促反应效果，发现贴微通道壁液滴微反应器仅6 min转化率即可达到40%，其反应速率可达未贴微通道壁液滴微反应器9.4倍。本文通过微流控双水相贴壁液滴流实现了酶促反应的强化，为微尺度下的酶催化反应过程强化提供了一种新的思路。

关键词: 微流控, 双水相, 液滴, 酶, 传质, 微通道

CLC Number:

TQ 464.8

Lufan JIA, Yiying WANG, Yuman DONG, Qinyuan LI, Xin XIE, Hao YUAN, Tao MENG. Aqueous two-phase system based adherent droplet microfluidics for enhanced enzymatic reaction[J]. CIESC Journal, 2023, 74(3): 1239-1246.

贾露凡, 王艺颖, 董钰漫, 李沁园, 谢鑫, 苑昊, 孟涛. 微流控双水相贴壁液滴流动强化酶促反应研究[J]. 化工学报, 2023, 74(3): 1239-1246.

Figures/Tables 9

Fig.1 (a) Microfluidic device; (b) The microscopic image of the nozzle; (c) Microfluidic adherent droplet flow model

Fig.2 Molecular confinement ability of aqueous two-phase droplet interface

Fig.3 Distribution of urease and product in an aqueous two-phase system

Fig.4 Analysis of droplet diameter under different inward pressures

Fig.5 Effects of residence time on reaction rate and conversion in unattached microchannel wall microreactor

Fig.6 Effects of residence time on reaction rate and conversion in attached microchannel wall microreactor

Fig.7 Effects of unattached microchannel wall and attached microchannel wall droplets on mass transfer coefficient

Fig.8 Effect of viscosity of the aqueous two-phase system on the mass transfer coefficient

Fig.9 Effect of hydrophobic and hydrophilic properties of the microchannel on the reaction rate: the height of water in microchannels before (a) and after (b) microchannel surface modification; (c) the reaction rate of the catalysis performed in microchannel before and after microchannel surface modification (the insets show the corresponding three-phase contact angle)

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