Multi-compartmental MOF microreactors derived from Pickering double emulsions for chemo-enzymatic cascade catalysis

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 14; no. 1; pp. 3226 - 14
• Main Authors: Tian, Danping, Hao, Ruipeng, Zhang, Xiaoming, Shi, Hu, Wang, Yuwei, Liang, Linfeng, Liu, Haichao, Yang, Hengquan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 03.06.2023; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 639/638/298/921; 639/638/77/603; 639/638/77/887; Cascade chemical reactions; Catalysis; Catalysts; Cellular structure; Contact angle; Controllability; Double emulsions; Efficiency; Emulsions; Engineering; Enzymes; Fabrication; Glucose oxidase; Glucose Oxidase - chemistry; Humanities and Social Sciences; Hydrophobicity; Inactivation; Laboratories; Lipase - metabolism; Metabolic engineering; Metabolism; Metal-organic frameworks; Metathesis; Microreactors; multidisciplinary; Nanoparticles; Oxidation; Oxidation-Reduction; Permeability; Porous materials; Porphyrins; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Substrates; Synthesis; Transesterification
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38949-w
• ISSN: 2041-1723

Bioinspired multi-compartment architectures are desired in synthetic biology and metabolic engineering, as credited by their cell-like structures and intrinsic ability of assembling catalytic species for spatiotemporal control over cascade reactions like in living systems. Herein, we describe a general Pickering double emulsion-directed interfacial synthesis method for the fabrication of multicompartmental MOF microreactors. This approach employs multiple liquid–liquid interfaces as a controllable platform for the self-completing growth of dense MOF layers, enabling the microreactor with tailor-made inner architectures and selective permeability. Importantly, simultaneous encapsulation of incompatible functionalities, including hydrophilic enzyme and hydrophobic molecular catalyst, can be realized in a single MOF microreactor for operating chemo-enzymatic cascade reactions. As exemplified by the Grubb’ catalyst/CALB lipase driven olefin metathesis/ transesterification cascade reaction and glucose oxidase (GOx)/Fe-porphyrin catalyzed oxidation reaction, the multicompartmental microreactor exhibits 2.24–5.81 folds enhancement in cascade reaction efficiency in comparison to the homogeneous counterparts or physical mixture of individual analogues, due to the restrained mutual inactivation and substrate channelling effects. Our study prompts further design of multicompartment systems and the development of artificial cells capable of complex cellular transformations. The cell-like structures and the ability of assembling catalytic species are interesting features of bioinspired multicompartment architectures but it remains a challenge to build them. Here, the authors describe a Pickering double emulsion-directed interfacial synthesis to fabricate multi-compartmented metal-organic framework microreactors. The cell-like structures and the ability of assembling catalytic species are interesting features of bioinspired multicompartment architectures but it remains a challenge to build them. Here, the authors describe a Pickering double emulsion-directed interfacial synthesis to fabricate multi-compartmented metal-organic framework microreactors.