HYBRID ORGANIC-INORGANIC POLYMERS FOR BACTERIA IMMOBILIZATION.

FOGLIA, M.L.; ALVAREZ, G.S; BERTINATTO, J.A; DIAZ, L.E; DESIMONE, M.F.(I)

Mar del Plata- Argentina

Congreso; 43th Annual Meeting - XLIII Runion Anual - SAIB; 2007

BIOCELL-SAIB

HYBRID ORGANIC-INORGANIC POLYMERS FOR BACTERIA IMMOBILIZATION. Foglia, M.L.; Alvarez, G.S.; Bertinatto, J.A.; Diaz, L.E.; Desimone, M.F. Química Analítica Instrumental, FFYB, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina. E-mail: lucia@foglia.com.ar Silica matrices made by the hydrolysis and condensation of silicon alkoxides are mechanically stable and conserve a high level of moisture. However, they are less biocompatible than silicate-derived matrices, obtained by the aqueous route. Therefore, silicate gels are preferred for bacteria immobilization. Despite of this advantage, inorganic silicate gels, tend to shrink and collapse with time, loosing mechanical strength and water-holding capacity. Furthermore, the stress induced by gel aging dramatically affects bacteria viability.Hybrid materials can be defined as nanocomposites with organic and inorganic components, intimately mixed. The aim of this work was to combine organic and inorganic components allowing the construction of a new material that could find a compromise between different properties (mechanics, permeability) and protect bacteria against gel aging. For this reason, we used sodium silicate as the inorganic component and glycerol or carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) as the organic part.Different glycerol and CMC concentrations were evaluated and better results were obtained when using CMC than with glycerol. CMC gels retained approximately 80% of water, after their aging in a controlled atmosphere, and showed favourable physical properties. E. coli was immobilized as a model microorganism into these hybrid materials with high viability even after gel aging.