Rapid In Situ Encapsulation of Laccase into Metal‐Organic Framework Support (ZIF‐8) under Biocompatible Conditions

Abstract In situ immobilization of laccase into metal‐organic framework (laccase‐MOF) was performed by assisting one‐pot synthesis strategy. A novel method to synthesize octahedral laccase‐MOF composite with enhanced thermostability is reported. The present work deals with entrapment of laccase into zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF‐8) by simply mixing solution of zinc acetate, 2‐methylimidazole, and laccase at room temperature (28 ± 2 °C). Fourier transform‐infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and Confocal scanning microscopy were employed to characterize laccase‐MOF composite. The thermostability of prepared composite was assessed concerning half‐life at varying temperatures which conferred 3.6‐fold enhancement over free enzyme. Also, kinetic studies of immobilized laccase showed a slightly higher K m and lower V max values along with the enhancement of thermodynamic parameters after non‐covalent interaction. Moreover, the immobilized laccase‐MOF maintained up to 48% of residual activity for seven subsequent cycles in batch mode, whereas the storage stability studies exhibited up to 83% up to 21 days of storage. Finally, FT‐IR data tool was employed to investigate the effect of encapsulation on fractions of secondary structure of protein.